Not So Forsaken
by SugarpuffZombie
Summary: Julia thought she was all alone in that godforsaken hotel until she heard the cocking of a shotgun behind her... Apologies for the awful summary! Please R&R! Rated M for language, and possible adult themes later on.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Greetings! I'd like to welcome you to my very first fanfic, and I really do hope that you enjoy it. It does feature an original character who is pretty much an experiment for me, and the story will involve a lot of reflection on how the characters develop as they go through the zombie apocalypse together. This first chapter is just to see if you guys like it. I do have eleven chapters ready to upload in addition to this one, and I'm currently working on the thirteenth chapter, so expect this to potentially be a long story and that it also may have a sequel. I will try and upload once every few days, or as my profile says, once a day, depending on how much progress I can continue to make with the story. Anyway, please feel free to review and once again, I hope that you enjoy it.

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter One -**

It had been the most hellish thirty minutes of her life.

Coming round from being knocked out by someone she was supposed to be able to trust with her life, Julia had found herself alone in a hotel room with a snarling former-human in the corner. She wasn't from Savannah originally. She didn't even _like_ Savannah. She'd only come all the way to Georgia for the sake of her so-called-boyfriend, Kevin, who she'd recently discovered to be cheating on her with multiple women for quite some time, and he'd then turned around after all the shit he'd given her over their two years together and knocked her out.

The redhead had come to the conclusion that the helicopters that were supposed to be evacuating survivors had already gone, with her scumbag of a boyfriend onboard, so she'd set out to try and find a way out of the burning building that she was currently standing in to see if she could get to another evacuation zone, to no avail. Armed with nothing but a crowbar that she'd found lying by a corpse in the room she'd woken in, Julia had thankfully encountered very few infected people and had spent her time looking for supplies she might need on her journey, like a first aid kit, and something more useful than the crowbar to use as a weapon.

Brushing a loose strand of her short, curled hair behind her ear, Julia carefully opened the door to the room she was about to search. It was silent. Nothing in there, thank God. Shutting the door behind her, something that she'd been making sure to do the whole way, she quickly searched various drawers, the bathroom and the closet to see if there was anything useful she could find. Her eyes landed on a duffel bag which sat on the floor of the closet. Inside was none other than a Magnum and several magazines worth of ammo. Smiling like a kid on Christmas morning, Julia picked up the gun, quickly checking to see how many bullets were in the magazine that sat in the gun at that time, and found that not only did it have a full magazine in there, but that it was also equipped with a flashlight.

"What are the chances?" She breathed out, almost flinching at the volume of her own voice, despite it not being that loud.

The silence around her was unnerving, and it was something that she was struggling to adjust to considering that fact that a short time ago, this hotel had been full of panicking, screaming people. She searched the bag some more and found a holster that she managed to wrap comfortably around her thigh, and she sat the Magnum in it, deciding only to use it in an emergency. Putting the first aid kit she'd found in the duffel, she picked up the black bag and slung it over her head, allowing the strap to rest comfortably on her shoulder as she then carefully backed out of the room, her crowbar held tightly in her hands.

She moved out onto the balcony next to her, grateful to find it empty before she returned back to the large space she'd been standing in several minutes earlier. There was a storage closet in the far corner that she wanted to search, so she carefully crossed the carpeted floor, taking note of the open elevator doors next to her. It was a bit dumb to use an elevator in a fire but she wasn't really prepared to fight through all those of floors of infected people when an elevator would cut her travel time in half.

 _'Wow...'_ She thought to herself with a soft laugh, _'How rebellious of you, Julia.'_

Reaching the closet, she carefully poked her head around the door to check that it was empty before heading inside starting to scan the shelves for any potential items that she might need to make the journey ahead a little easier. She spent a good couple of minutes in there, looking around to see if there was anything she could use in her medkit or any other kind of weapon that she could take when the sound of a shotgun cocking caught her attention.

Fear shot through her like a stalactite slicing through a pool of water, and as a panic started to work its way through her body and into her throat, Julia swallowed hard, trying not to be physically sick. Friend or Foe? There was only one way to find out. For some reason, as she turned around slowly to exit the storage closet, she considered all the poor choices she'd made in her life. The choice to sneak out to a boy's house without her parents' knowledge which ended up with her being grounded for three weeks, the choice to drop out of college because she didn't have the confidence to finish the tuition that her parents had been saving their whole married life for, the choice to stay with a mentally and physically abusive man who did nothing but cheat on her and then abandon her in this godforsaken shithole to die... The choice to step into the face of potential death just because she had the tiniest of hope that she might be saved...

She did what she considered to be smart. She slid the crowbar out of the room first, hearing it bump awkwardly on the carpet as it came to a stop just outside the door. She still had her Magnum, and whoever was outside this door didn't know that. Not unless they'd been trailing her for the past five minutes, which they very well could've been... Raising her hands above her head, lifting her head as defiantly as she could, Julia stepped outside the closet slowly and kept her body angled slightly to the right so that the person who had the shotgun wouldn't be able to see the Magnum. She was met with three men and a woman, who were all pointing guns at her.

"Friend or Foe?" A very young looking man in a yellow t-shirt which said ' _Bullshifters_ ' on it spoke quietly, sounding nowhere near as brave as he clearly wanted to be.

"F-Friend..." Julia answered, equally as nervous as the younger man, "Friend, I swear..."

"You alone?" The African-American man standing at the back of the group asked, lowering his shotgun slightly.

"Yes." Julia swallowed hard, trying to control her body's incessant need to start shaking, "Completely alone."

Three out of the four lowered their weapons. Just the dark-haired guy in the white suit kept his submachine gun aimed at her, his eyes narrowing as he looked her over. Julia looked towards the pretty African-American woman in the pink ' _Depeche Mode'_ shirt, hoping for a little support from her so that the guy in the suit might actually lower his weapon. Men intimidated her. They always had. Okay, the guy in the yellow t-shirt and the big guy in purple looked harmless enough, but the guy in the suit? He looked hardened and cold. Not warm and friendly like the others.

"W-We're heading to the mall across town." The man in yellow said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess you missed the evac too, huh? We think they're headed that way if you wanna come with."

"Yeah, I missed it." Julia answered softly, bending down slowly to retrieve the crowbar from the floor, "Um... It'd be nice to have some company on the way there... If that's okay..."

The man in purple offered her a kind smile and laughed heartily, approaching her without hesitation and completely bypassing the man in the suit, who watched almost incredulously as the group approached the newcomer without any concern. They all seemed to assume that the nearby open elevator was working, and happily accompanied Julia inside. The man in purple leant out of the elevator once more to call to the man in the suit who had now, thankfully, lowered his gun.

"You comin', boy? I have a feelin' this is gonna be a one-way ride..."

With a sigh of what sounded like resignation and irritation, the man in the suit followed and stepped into the elevator with everyone else. The woman in pink pressed the button for the first floor, and the doors slowly closed, leaving everyone in a rather awkward moment of silence.

"Holy shit..." The man in yellow swore quietly, taking off his blue and white baseball cap to briefly rub his forehead with the back of his hand, his curled hair sticking up slightly in the heat around them, "This is some sort of nightmare, Goddamn zombie apocalypse and shit... Shit, shit, shit... What the hell are we gonna do?"

"Settle down, son..." The man in purple was quick to try and reassure the younger man, "It'll be okay. What's your name?"

"Ellis..." The man in yellow answered, "My name's Ellis."

"Hey... Name's Rochelle." The woman in pink said with a sweet grin before turning to the man in the suit, who was leaning back against the elevator with his arms folded and what looked like a jar full of a strange green liquid in his hand, "You?"

"Name's Nick. But don't bother learnin' it, 'cause I ain't stickin' around long."

"Let's try to stay together a little while longer at least, okay, Nick?" The man in purple said quietly before turning to the others, ignoring the scowl he got from Nick, "My friends call me Coach. I guess y'all can do the same. What about you, young 'un?"

All eyes then turned on Julia, who was playing with the white ties of her apple-green hoodie as she pressed her sneaker-clad foot against the wall of the elevator. Swallowing down her sudden onset of anxiety at being the centre of everyone's attention, she cleared her throat to answer Coach, who was looking at her expectantly. She hated being so awkward and so anxious but she tried to fight it, regardless.

"Julia. My name's Julia..." She answered, nervously brushing her hair behind her ear again, "But some people call me Jules."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jules." Ellis was the first to extend a hand to the twenty-one-year-old, and she took it warily, trying not to panic when she felt how strong his grip was, "You got anythin' to use other than that crowbar?"

Julia's gaze flitted to the jar in Nick's hand before she moved back to Ellis, trying hard to make eye contact. Eye contact was something she'd struggled with for a long time, especially since the first time that Kevin had hit her. Even as a teenager, her confidence had been so lacking that maintaining eye contact with friends and teachers had been a struggle, but she knew now that she really had to make the effort to try and get past her social awkwardness because she was going to have to work as a team with these four strangers.

"Uh... Yeah. This gun." She carefully took the Magnum out of its holster to show the group before pointing to the glass container in Nick's hand with suspicious eyes, "I-Is that puke?"

"We think so." Coach replied, "You hear about those zombies that started to mutate?"

Julia nodded solemnly. Yes. She'd heard of those. She'd even seen one in a hood that walked on all fours like some kind of wolf pounce on some poor woman near the entrance to the hotel. It had this horrific scream that it let out as it jumped on her, and it literally tore her to shreds right in front of her helpless husband. It had been awful to see... Just awful...

"Well, one of 'em's this huge, fat thing that burps and groans, and it pukes up stuff that looks like this. Accordin' to Rochelle, the military's been callin' em Boomers." Coach continued to explain, "Nick shot one that came runnin' at us down a hallway and it exploded, but the walls got coated in this shit... Zombies came chargin' for the damn stuff. They must like the smell."

Julia winced, wrinkling her small nose in disgust. Why did it have to be puke? Why couldn't it have been something else? Although, what else would she rather it be? Would it be better to be puked on by a zombie or something else? She shuddered. She didn't really want to think about zombies and their varying bodily functions.

"I got a feeling that we're gonna get some unwanted attention when these doors open." Nick said with a grimace, "This elevator's gotta be making a lot of noise. It's why I've got this in my hand. At least we can distract the zombies with it if they decide to throw us a welcome party."

"We have no idea what we're walking into out there." Rochelle said quietly, "We need to be careful."

The elevator's lights suddenly cut out, and there was a loud crashing around them which caused the elevator to shake. Instinctively, Julia tried to brace herself against the wall, as did everyone else. It seemed that their ride had come to an end, and smoke started to fill the elevator which gave everyone, even Nick cause to be nervous.

"Get ready..." Nick's voice was stern but calm, and his hand hovered over the button to try and open the doors.

He hit the button, the doors opened, and the group of five was met with the awful sight of an entire floor in flames. Nick ran out without hesitation, and the others quickly followed, leaving Julia standing anxiously in the elevator. She saw a glow of green flying through the air and it landed in the fire, causing zombies to sprint from the rooms ahead of them and straight into the flames. The smell was indescribable, and the screams of the infected people now being burned alive were just unbearable. Julia knew that she had to fight to the death for survival against these infected people but she still couldn't shake the notion that they were indeed people. Just incurably sick people.

"Jules!"

Her large brown eyes snapped up to meet Ellis' and as she licked her full lips to try and give them some moisture in the intense heat, she quickly reached out to catch the muted submachine gun that he was throwing her way. She didn't know where he'd found the damn thing but she knew she needed to use it, and use it quickly.

"Watch out for the ones in the Hazmat suits!" Ellis yelled over the roar of the fire, starting to cough almost as soon as he spoke.

Sure enough, infected were running out of the fire completely untouched because of the special suits they were wearing. Julia stepped out of the elevator, aimed the gun towards the oncoming zombies and took a deep breath before pulling the trigger. She saw one of the zombies running towards her suddenly collapse because of the bullets she was firing, and she almost dropped the gun. She'd never shot anyone before. She'd used a shooting range at her father's insistence, but shooting people was a lot different than shooting paper targets and it felt awful.

At last, the wave of zombies seemed to disappear, and the group started to run quickly down the corridor to try and find a way out. Spotting a room to his right, Nick quickly slipped out of sight, and the white of his suit could be seen amongst the darkness of the thick black smoke as he rushed around that particular room, trying to find supplies. He returned quickly with a backpack in his free hand which had what looked like yet another first aid kit hanging out of it. He threw it to Ellis, who quickly zipped up the bag and slung it onto his back. Nick yelled at them all to move, and the group quickly started to head further down the corridor.

Once again, Nick headed to the right, and this time, Rochelle and Ellis followed, leaving Julia and Coach to do the same. There was no point even trying to communicate verbally because the thick smoke was making it impossible, and all that could really be heard above the roar of the fire was coughing and spluttering as the five of them started to inhale smoke and fumes from the burning building. Julia couldn't help but wonder if they were going to die from smoke inhalation or if they were just going to burn to death. At least, she realised, she wouldn't die alone if that were the case.

The sound of Nick's submachine gun hit her ears as he shot at zombies in the far corner of the kitchen area they'd run into, and Rochelle's pink shirt could be seen moving around frantically as she searched some shelving next to them. Julia could see her desperately shoving some bottles into Ellis' backpack, and she then tapped Nick on the shoulder to tell him to keep moving. They fought through the smoke, heading out into what Julia presumed used to be some sort of dining area. It was almost impossible to negotiate a path now since the flames were just so big and the smoke was so thick. Over the horrendous sounds of the fire, Nick turned around to yell instructions to the others.

"Grab onto the shoulder of the person in front!" His voice was so commanding that everyone obeyed without question, "Only shoot if you have to!"

They moved carefully but quickly, and Nick shot at a few infected people who came running out of the blackness towards them. Julia's heart was throbbing in her chest, her face now coated with a layer of sweat and her mind filled with regrets about putting on her thick green hoodie when the weather was still so warm, despite Fall coming to an end.

As daylight came into view, the group realised that they were heading to an area that was probably free of fire, so they released one another and took up their weapons again, moving quickly towards the exit of the hellish inferno they'd just walked through. Passing by a couple of tables that were stood up against a wall nearby, Rochelle spotted what looked like a Molotov cocktail and another jar of Boomer bile. She grabbed them without hesitation, throwing the Molotov to Ellis, who caught it quickly and shoved it in the gap between his torso and where his blue overalls were tied around his waist while she decided to keep the jar of bile to herself.

"Safe room up ahead!" Nick announced with slight relief in his voice, "Keep moving!"

He reached the safe room before the others, and Julia couldn't help but feel somewhat suspicious that he might actually lock them out of the damn thing, but as he reached the door, he suddenly backtracked, grabbing Rochelle's arm as she caught up with him and pulling her back with him.

"One of those charging things!" She yelled, quickly moving out of the way with Nick before opening fire at it.

Out of the safe room came a zombie in overalls with an enormous arm, his other arm looking almost deflated as it flailed uselessly behind him. His twisted skull gave him an almost agonised look, but as he set his sights on the group, all pity for the damn thing vanished. It let out what could only be described as the thunderous roar of an angry bull, and ran straight towards Ellis, Coach and Julia. Coach stepped to the side to get out of its way, and Ellis quickly grabbed Julia, heaving her out of its path. It ran into one of the pillars of the foyer they'd just crossed, staggering pathetically to the left. Everyone shot at it as it stumbled around trying to get its bearings again, and it collapsed to the floor with a mournful groan, leaving the group staring at it silently.

"Well... You know what they say about zombies with one big arm." Nick said, waggling his eyebrows at Julia as he turned to head into the safe room.

Julia's brain was now filled with all kinds of horrid imagery that she really didn't want on top of the shit she'd already seen over the past few days, so while she tried to remove said imagery from her head, she slowly walked beside Ellis as they headed towards the safe room. The whole ordeal she'd just been through was very surreal and very alien to her, and she wondered if the light-headedness she was experiencing was due to the shock of what she'd just survived with her four new companions.

"Thanks for the save." She said sheepishly, looking up at the young man with an embarrassed smile, "I've never seen one of those before..."

"No problem." Ellis smiled at her sweetly, "We're still tryin' to decide what to call the special ones, but I think we're gonna call that one a Charger."

"Hey, Overalls! Raggedy Anne!" Nick's voice rang out loud and clear from the safe room, "You comin' in here, or what?"

Julia felt almost offended by the term Nick had just used to describe her, which was clearly in reference to her copper coloured hair, but she and Ellis pressed on regardless, heading into the safe room where Coach and Rochelle were busy gathering the supplies that were in there. Nick closed the door behind them, and Ellis moved to help him barricade it, while Julia stood in the centre of the room, her denim-clad legs pressed together in a nervous fashion and her fingers instantly moving to fidget with her sleeve.

Nick turned for a moment to observe the pretty, petite redhead, with her pale skin, short but almost cutely curled coppery hair, her awkward, nervous posture and her clear discomfort with being surrounded by strangers and he couldn't help but think that she wouldn't last five minutes out there. Almost as if she knew he was looking at her, she turned those deep brown eyes on him, and he looked away, smirking to himself.

Yeah... She wouldn't last five minutes...

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own **_Left 4 Dead 2_** or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, again! Thanks so much to everyone who's read this story so far. I'd like to offer a huge thanks to _**WATERDOG139**_ for being my very first follower and favouriter of both my account and this story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and to everyone else, please feel free to review!

Happy reading!

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Two -**

The group rested momentarily in the surprisingly bright safe room, recovering from the horrendously difficult task of trying to breathe in the inferno that they'd just come from.

Rochelle and Coach were filling Ellis' backpack with first aid kits and other medical supplies, including a portable defib unit that sat on a nearby desk. Julia watched with concern, feeling anxious at the very notion that a defib unit might be needed. She rubbed absently at her now exposed forearms, fingers running over the various bruises that littered her pale skin. Coach was putting ammo into boxes and organising them to see what they were able to take with them, and Nick stood away from the group, examining the various rings on his fingers.

"Julia?"

The sleeves of the young woman's hoodie came down so fast that she almost lost her grip on them, and she looked up at Coach with wide eyes, who was busy packing ammo into her duffel bag.

"Are you carryin' anythin' personal or sentimental in this bag of yours?" He asked her quietly.

"Um... No... Just ammo and my own med supplies." She said with a nervous smile, "I guess the med supplies are now with Ellis."

"Yeah, they are." Coach said softly, "This may feel a little heavy when it's full if you're okay carryin' it."

Julia nodded, and then rubbed her hands anxiously as he continued filled the bag before moving to pick up her muted submachine gun, which she'd left on a nearby table. Coach zipped up the bag, turning back to her with a warm smile before handing it to her, allowing her to slip it back over her head. Nick stepped forward, noticing Julia's attempts to make the bag feel more comfortable. Coach was right. It was a little heavy.

"Need me to carry that for ya, cupcake?" He asked with a smirk, earning a frown and a nervous glare from the younger woman.

"I'm fine, thank you." She told him, trying to fight her instinct to take a step away from him.

She couldn't cope with people, particularly men, being in her personal space when it was uninvited or unwanted. It was another stupid thing that she'd come to be almost afraid of since she got together with Kevin. That man had ruined her. She had no courage, no self-worth, no strength... Now that she was free of him, she realised how much she hated the bastard.

"Alright, people, listen up." Coach began, bringing Julia out of her thoughts, "There's a gun store on the way to the mall. What do you say we pay it a visit?"

"Gun store sounds like a good place to stop." Nick agreed, "Let's go."

Coach cautiously lifted the bar from the safe room exit and gingerly pushed the door open. The area outside was quiet, with only a few zombies wandering in their immediate vicinity which the two older men quickly dispatched with their guns. The sun was bright and warm, and as the group left the safe room, Rochelle found herself basking in the sunshine. Coach led the way with Nick behind him, and Rochelle behind Nick. Ellis was walking next to Julia at the back of the group, hoping to maybe make conversation with the quiet redhead.

"So, uh... You from Savannah, or...?"

"No, actually, I come from Springfield, Illinois." Julia replied with a kind smile, "I was here with my boyfriend 'cause he wanted to come up here for a vacation..."

"Oh." Ellis said softly, "You didn't wanna come here for a vacation?"

Julia's features scrunched up a little in discomfort and, once again, anxiety. She didn't want to hurt Ellis' feelings since he was a local and he probably had a lot of love for the place, but she didn't want to lie either. Lying to a man never ended well for her. She'd learned that _very_ quickly.

"No. I didn't." She said with a shake of her head, "I just wasn't in the mood for a vacation, that's all."

Ellis nodded in understanding, looking across at the pretty redhead with a warm smile. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her boyfriend or where he was. He knew, though, it wouldn't be appropriate to ask, and he decided on this occasion to keep his mouth shut and just to keep walking.

She smiled back sheepishly, looking towards the top of the hill where numerous infected were wandering aimlessly in what looked like an emergency triage area. Coach and Nick came to a stop at the top of the small slope they'd walked up, as though carefully examining the area. There were barricades, tents and CEDA vans all over the place. No surviving humans though. Just infected people. When the others caught up, Nick and Coach started to open fire on the infected, and the others quickly followed suit as the zombies instantly became aware of their presence. A coughing sound could be heard above the snarls of the zombies, however, and the group was suddenly met with the sight of a tall, growth-ridden zombie stumbling towards them from the right of them, tentacle-like appendages emerging from several places on its body.

"We got a Smoker!" Nick yelled above the gunfire, pointing in the direction of the infected.

Julia spun around with her gun, shooting at the approaching figure desperately. What the hell was a Smoker? What did it do? Why was it covered in growths like that? It was hideous and sounded absolutely awful with its hacking cough and wheezy breaths, and the very sight of it sent unpleasant shivers down Julia's back. It stopped several yards away from her, let out a hoarse, terrifying scream, and a long pink tongue shot out of its mouth straight towards her. It wrapped around her midsection, trapping her right arm against her side and squeezing so hard that she let out a horrified yelp, dropping her gun.

Rochelle rushed forward and grabbed a hold of her free arm in an attempt to pull her back to them, while a stone-faced Nick turned on the creature and fired round after round at it. It suddenly released Julia, letting out a hoarse gasp as it collapsed to the ground, smoke emerging from its body in putrid green clouds.

Rochelle and Ellis worked to get the tongue off of Julia, who was near enough panicking at the thought of what could've just happened to her. She looked up at Nick, her eyes wide and almost tearful, but full of gratitude. It made Nick feel a tad uncomfortable. He'd never had a woman look at him like that before, and he didn't really know how to handle it. If she started blubbering he'd have no idea what to do.

"Thank you." She breathed out as Rochelle gave her a quick, reassuring backrub, "All of you."

"No problem, sweetie." Rochelle said warmly, "Come on. We'd better keep going."

The five of them continued moving forward, stopping to look inside the CEDA tent where they found nothing but blood-stained medical beds and one lone dead female, laying in the corner, curled up in the foetal position with what looked like a crucifix clutched in her hand. Coach took a moment to say a brief prayer for the young woman before covering her with one of the bloodied sheets that lay on the medical beds in front of them. The group then took a right turn and headed towards the end of the street, which was closed off with barricades and a chainlink fence.

Nick had moved to the front of the group, walking with determination and confidence and he was closely followed by Coach and Rochelle, who were both being vigilant, but walked with a similar confidence that Nick was displaying. Julia stayed at the back, behind Ellis, her gun held tightly in her hands. How could they all be so calm? She was terrified. Death lurked, quite literally, around every corner. How could Nick walk so quickly and with such determination when something could just jump out and kill him. Ellis looked behind him, watching Julia worriedly as she followed them slowly.

"Come on, Jules..." He said gently, beckoning her to follow, "Don't go fallin' behind, now..."

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Julia quickened her pace, meeting up with the others as they reached a door to their right. Her white t-shirt was no longer sticking to her as it had been due to the intense heat in the hotel, and the warm breeze was actually quite comforting against her skin as it blew gently through the air. It was almost serene in comparison to the chaos that America had been caught up in.

"Let's see what's through here." Nick said, moving away from where he'd been leant against the door, "Sounds quiet enough."

He carefully opened the door, aiming his submachine gun so that the flashlight could illuminate the dark space that they were confronted with. One lone infected stood at the top of the stairs, which he shot dead within seconds of spotting it. Carefully, the group moved forward into the stairway and remained silent, not wanting to alert any infected with trivial conversation. Once they had a sight of the bottom of the stairs, they felt relief when they found that it was empty. However, the silence was broken by the sound of a woman sobbing. Instantly, everyone spun around, looking for the source of the noise.

"Rochelle? That ain't you, is it, girl?" Coach asked, looking around in the darkness for the young woman.

"What?" Rochelle asked incredulously, leading Coach to then look around for the other woman in the group.

"Julia?"

"That's not me." Julia answered in a harsh whisper, "It's coming from outside."

"I don't like the sound of this cryin'..." Nick admitted, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the door to the right of them, "Come on..."

He pushed the door open slowly and passed through it. The crying seemed to be coming from the left of them, so Nick carefully headed down the steps to his left and moved around the truck that was in the tunnel ahead to see if he could spot the source of the crying. Hearts in their mouths, the others followed him, and all were met with the unnerving sight of a woman, almost completely white wearing nothing more than a cropped top and panties, walking around with her head in her hands.

"A crying woman..." Nick said with a shake of the head, turning to the others, "What? You think she's sad that the mall's closed?"

"Nick!" Rochelle hissed, "Shut up!"

Nick rolled his eyes, while Coach turned to the group and spoke to them in a hushed voice so as not to draw the attention of the crying female, who frankly looked freaky as hell and definitely someone that they should avoid.

"Let's keep away from her..." He said quietly, "I don't like the look of her."

"She might need help." Ellis suggested with a frown, "We can't just leave her."

With that, Ellis walked towards the crying woman, despite the hissed protests of the others. Julia watched with wide eyes from her place near the truck, unable to shake the feeling in her gut that something was very wrong with the woman wandering around in front of her. Ellis reached her as she stopped in front of him, her back to him, her sobs suddenly silencing... Her face slowly turned to meet his, and a pair of red glowing eyes were what Ellis was confronted with rather than the tearful ones he'd expected, followed by deep, angry growling as the woman's face contorted into a hideous expression of rage.

"Uh... Are you alright?" Ellis asked warily, starting to back away.

The woman started to shriek at Ellis as he continued to move away from her before finally breaking into a full-blown scream, her arms stretching forwards to reveal long, talon-like claws that were stained with blood. Ellis immediately turned on his heel and started to run, and the others tried to shoot at the woman who was chasing him down almost frantically to protect their fellow survivor. Coach, however, waited patiently for the woman to reach them, and as he saw the first wisps of her long white hair, he aimed his shotgun and fired point blank into the side of her head. She stumbled to the side and collapsed haphazardly by the wall opposite them, half of her head now missing. Ellis slowed to a stop, panting and desperately trying to calm himself down.

"You alright, Ellis?" Rochelle asked, worriedly looking him over.

"Yeah... At least we know now we gotta keep away if we come across any other zombies like her." He panted steadily walking back to them, "Damn, she was fast."

"What do you wanna call those?" Rochelle asked Coach, looking at him expectantly.

"What about _Witches_?" Julia asked, her voice quiet and eyes wide, "The fact that she was crying would easily lure unsuspecting people in... Y'know... Like the witch in _Hansel and Gretel_ lures children in with her house made of candy?"

"Yeah, Witch sounds about right..." Coach said with a small smile, "You're pretty smart, huh, young 'un?"

Julia smiled sweetly, her cheeks heating up at the compliment. She hadn't been called 'smart' in a long time. Kevin always like to tell her how stupid he thought she was. That was one of the things he used to love doing to her. Embarrassing her and putting her down in front of other people. It seemed to give him some kind of high that she just couldn't understand. But, Julia decided to latch onto the positive words she'd just received from her comrade, rather than the cruel, negative ones from her boyfriend.

"Alright, so now we're done picking names can we move?" Nick asked in a tone that dripped with negativity, "I'd really _hate_ to miss another evac."

"Mister... I don't think I like your attitude." Coach said darkly, glaring at Nick before proceeding to walk past him so he could continue to lead the way, "Let's keep movin'."

Nick followed him with a roll of his eyes, leaving Julia, Rochelle and Ellis to follow. Rochelle and Julia were walking behind the conman, both side by side and both immediately engaging in conversation. It hardly surprised the guys that the girls would be talking amongst themselves. Girls often stuck together in situations like this, although, that being said, there never had been a situation quite like this.

"I can't believe I'm stranded in Savannah." Rochelle said, "This heat isn't doing my hair any good. It's already big enough without being stuck in humid heat like this."

"Yeah, it is pretty hot out here." Julia agreed, running a hand through her hair, "Mine gets big in humidity too."

"Well, why not take that hoodie off, sweetie?" Rochelle asked kindly, "That can't be helping."

Julia's eyes flashed with panic. She couldn't take her hoodie off. She didn't want all the awkward questions when the others saw the fact that her arms were littered with bruises. And it wasn't as if she could pass those off as accidental bruises. For one, there were too many of them, and they were so dark and angry looking that it was clear she'd not gotten them by walking into something. She had one set of fingertip bruises on her right arm that Kevin had given her just twenty-four hours earlier, and she really, really didn't want to have to explain that her boyfriend had not only beaten her regularly for the past eighteen months but that he'd also abandoned her and left her for dead in that hotel. She couldn't face admitting that she'd allowed someone to abuse and hurt her to complete strangers.

"Oh, it's only thin." The excuse came out so clearly and so smoothly that Julia could barely believe she'd given it.

Rochelle seemed to accept it without so much as a hint of doubt, and Julia felt her chest and stomach flood with pure relief. Rochelle, however, sensed in her gut that something was off with the younger woman. That hoodie was _not_ thin. It was plainly obvious that the hoodie wasn't thin, but Rochelle hadn't questioned it because she had a feeling that Julia wasn't happy taking it off, for whatever reason. That reason wasn't any of Rochelle's business, which is why she didn't question the redhead about her response. Instead, she offered her a kind smile and cleared her throat, wanting to give her a small boost.

"It's a very pretty shade of green." She said softly, "Makes your hair really stand out."

"Thank you." Julia let out a girlish giggle, "I like your t-shirt. ' _Depeche Mode_ ' is a pretty good band."

Rochelle chuckled in response but was cut off when she heard Nick sigh with irritation ahead of them. She set her gaze on the back of his head and shot him a rather frightening glare before returning her attention to the road ahead. Coach was climbing over the railing beside them, and he turned to help both ladies climb over. Even though he knew they were more than capable, he still felt it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

"Thanks, Coach." Rochelle said sweetly, "We'll head down here and see if there's anything useful in that truck."

"Be careful." Coach said with a sincere look, "You girls watch out for each other. We'll meet you up there."

He pointed towards the other end of the road where some infected were just stumbling around, minding their own business. Nick, Ellis and Coach headed towards their destination, while Rochelle and Julia cautiously approached the stationary truck. Their hearts were in their mouths, but both women were determined to show that they were brave enough and capable of venturing off on their own. Somehow, both of them felt the need to prove that.

"I'll check the back." Rochelle said quietly, "I'll holler if I need anything. You wanna check the cab?"

"Sure." Julia said quietly, "I'll call you if I need you."

"Okay." Rochelle replied, moving towards the rear of the truck.

Julia climbed up, wincing at the pain in her arms as she tried to open the door of the truck's cab. She could hear the gunfire at the other end of the street as the men took out the zombies that were around there, but she tried to ignore it as she leant inside the cab to look for anything useful. She spotted some pain relief pills in a bottle in the centre console and as she looked behind the driver's seat, she also found a black and blue sports bag.

"Bingo..." She breathed, reaching down to pick it up.

Sitting it on the seat, she looked inside the bag to see if there was anything useful that she could take as well. It was empty apart from a high visibility jacket, which she took out and laid carefully on the passenger seat opposite. She heard Rochelle's footsteps as the pink-clad woman made her way towards the driver door, and she carefully started to ease her way out of the cab.

"I found a bag." She said with a triumphant smile, "I'll hang on to it for now until we can find some other use for it."

Rochelle smiled warmly at the younger woman, almost in a playful manner before she produced a very menacing looking machete from behind her back, waggling her eyebrows at Julia in what could only be described as a means of expressing her delight at her discovery.

"Girl, I don't know who was driving this truck, but he or she must've been super paranoid!" She laughed, waving it around experimentally.

Julia laughed as well, easing herself down from the truck's cab. The two women set off walking towards the men, who were waiting patiently for them by a large dumpster. Nick was standing with his arms folded, his resting bitch face ever-present, while Coach and Ellis seemed at least happy to see them both. Rochelle showed the guys the machete, earning a compliment from Ellis and a rather dark laugh from Coach.

"You find anything useful, Julia?" Nick asked, testing her name on his lips for the first time.

"I found a sports duffel." She replied quietly, "I'm happy to carry it for now until we need it. It's not heavy."

"Very good." Coach said with a smile, "Now, we'd better climb up here and see what's on the other side. Ladies first."

Nick rolled his eyes again as Coach stepped aside to let Rochelle and Julia climb up onto the dumpster first. Nick followed them next, then Coach and then Ellis, who was the last to drop down on the other side. Again, they were only confronted with a few zombies, who were aimlessly stumbling on some concrete steps nearby which led to another building, which the group would no doubt have to go through.

"We got this." Rochelle said with narrowed eyes, raising her machete, "Get your crowbar ready, Jules."

Julia put her submachine gun in her duffel bag and retrieved her crowbar, gripping it tightly in her hands. She still wasn't used to killing infected, but she was more used to beating them with the crowbar than shooting them. The two women approached the infected if a little cautiously. The men watched Rochelle point to the top, and Julia suddenly broke into a run, her short copper curls bouncing as she hopped up the steps and swung her crowbar into the head of the first zombie she came across. It collapsed to the floor, the crowbar still stuck in its head, which she pried out quickly to attack the next one. Rochelle was busy pinning the head of the zombie she'd taken out to the floor, trying to now pry her machete from its skull.

A growl coming from the right of her caught Julia's attention. It was one that she recognised. The same one that she'd heard when she saw that poor woman... That _poor_ woman... The door to the building next to the girls suddenly shook as something pounded on it, and Rochelle looked up warily as she finally freed her machete from the skull of the infected person she'd just killed.

"That sounds like one of those Hunters..." She murmured, waving Julia closer to her, "Come over here... Get out your gun..."

Rochelle raised her submachine gun while Julia retrieved her Magnum, aiming at the door as she slowly backed towards her comrade who was waving at the men to join them. Thankfully, they understood that something wasn't right, and as the door burst open, they broke into a run towards the women.

The second that she spied the creature's hooded head, Julia opened fire with her Magnum. After seeing what these things were capable of, she wasn't prepared to suffer the same fate as... _No_... She didn't want to think about what happened back at the hotel. As the Hunter, as Rochelle had called it, took a hit, it yelped and flew out of sight. The girls didn't move an inch, and as the boys reached them, they listened out again as the Hunter started to growl, clearly returning to try and claim one of them as its prey. The second it appeared again, it was sprayed with bullets, letting out one more cry before it collapsed in a heap by the door, dead. This time, it hadn't had the chance to get away from them or attack any of them.

Julia let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding in, and suddenly she saw a flash of white as Nick walked past her. He knelt by the hooded figure, grabbing it by the hood and pulling its head up to look at it. He turned back to the young woman with a half smile, showing her the sizeable hole near the centre of its head.

"Nice shot, Raggedy-Anne." He said with a grin, "I assume that wasn't your first time shooting a Magnum."

"I've been to the odd shooting range in my time." Julia replied sheepishly, "At my dad's insistence. Certainly not mine... Did I really kill it?"

Nick huffed out a laugh, dropping the creature's head back to the ground before getting to his feet, shaking his head in near disbelief. He never believed in a million years that Julia would've been able to shoot at all, never mind actually getting a headshot on something like a Hunter. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but part of him hoped it wasn't. Someone with some ability to aim their weapon properly was better than someone getting a good shot by accident.

"You killed it alright." Nick said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet as he looked back up at her, "Jesus..."

Shaking his head again as he looked down at the corpse, Nick used his foot to shove the Hunter out of the way, allowing the rest of the group to enter the building after him. Sticking to her rule of closing doors behind her, Julia did just that, casting the space into darkness again. Coach began towards a flight of stairs that were to the left of them, and the others wordlessly followed, making a neat line as they headed towards the upper floor. They found a pair of tables lined up in the upstairs part of the building and upon one of them was a messy pile of ammunition.

"Let's take this opportunity to stock up on ammo..." Coach said quietly, holding a hand out to Julia, "Y'mind if I take your bag, Julia?"

Julia didn't answer. She just took the bag off and handed it to the older man, standing awkwardly by Nick, who slipped past her, once again invading her personal space. She held her breath as he passed her, feeling that same pang of anxiety that she would feel whenever someone else would get too close to her like that without her permission. She didn't notice Rochelle watching her from the far wall, where she'd just checked a first aid cupboard which had turned out to be empty.

"Hey, Jules... You shot that Hunter up real good." Ellis said with a laugh, "I'm glad we found ya now. You're pretty darn good with a gun."

"Oh, I'm not that good. It was just a lucky shot." Julia said, trying not to blush at the compliment, "I've only ever shot paper targets before."

"Better than having no experience at all." Nick said, reloading his submachine gun as Coach handed Ellis some shotgun shells.

He couldn't believe she'd proved him wrong. Perhaps she wasn't as hopeless as he'd thought initially. Whatever. It didn't really matter anyway. The sooner they got evacuated, the sooner he could be his usual self, drifting from place to place to make money, alone, without anyone else to worry about.

"Alright, guys. We're not far from the gun store, or the mall." Coach said quietly, watching the girls reload their weapons before handing the bag back to Julia, "Let's go."

Julia slipped the bag back over her shoulder, and as Coach led the way out of the building, she joined the back of the group, pausing on the way out to close the door behind them.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Here we are with chapter three. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who's read this so far! Please feel free to review. It really does help me get an idea of what you guys think of my writing and stuff.

Happy reading!

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Three -**

The warm afternoon air hit the group of five again as they headed out of their current location and onto a walkway to try and find a way back to ground level.

They hoped that Coach was right and that the gun store was nearby because they didn't have that much ammo to spare and at least in a gun store, if it hadn't already been looted, they could get themselves a decent stockpile of bullets so that they had plenty in case of emergency. However, the concerns about ammo were about to be made worse as they looked out onto the road in front of them. It was packed with infected. There must've easily been fifty or sixty down there, if not more. Ellis gulped audibly.

"What the hell do we do about that?"

Julia looked ahead of her at the crowd and then her eyes trailed until she was leaning over the railing in front of her, looking at the massive gap beneath it. If they threw the bile bomb that Rochelle had under the walkway they were standing on, it would draw all the infected to the smell and give them the chance to escape with only having to kill the few that got in their way, instead of all of them.

"Maybe... If we use this?" She indicated Rochelle's bile bomb with a nervous smile, "We can throw it under this walkway and then make a run for those stairs. I assume that's where we're headed."

"That's not a bad idea at all, honey." Coach said with a small laugh, "We can get up those stairs and out of sight before the zombies know what's hit 'em."

"We might have to kill a few on the way but at least we save some ammo." Julia said softly, keeping her submachine gun held tightly in her hands, "We have to be fast if this is going to work."

"Alright, people, you heard the woman." Coach said quietly, accepting the bile bomb that Rochelle handed to him.

"We need to jump down from this truck and make a beeline for the stairs." Nick's voice was gruff, deep and quiet as he spoke, pointing ahead of himself, "But we'd better give this crowd a few seconds to disperse first. Let them beat the hell out of each other, and only shoot anything that's an imminent threat to you or someone else."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Coach ushered the girls in front of him so that they could run first. Once he had the nod from the group that they were ready, Coach launched the bile bomb under the walkway, causing it to smash on the ground right next to a group of four infected. Immediately, the crowd ahead broke into a sprint towards the smell, completely ignoring the five survivors who were waiting with baited breath for their opening. A gap came within a few seconds, and Rochelle and Julia were first to leap down from the truck and break into a run. Nick and Coach stayed at the back, while Ellis ran in the middle, their eyes all scanning the area for any infected who hadn't made it to the horde yet.

"Keep moving!" Nick yelled from the back, watching the girls as they rushed up the steps.

They hurried across to head into the next building, suddenly finding themselves more anxious than ever to get out of the area. The second that bile bomb ran out of steam, the infected would probably be able to smell any remains of a scent that the five of them had left behind. Ellis' voice suddenly filled the quiet space, almost startling the two women at the front of the line.

"We're almost at that gun store, guys, I can feel it!" He shouted encouragingly, "Don't stop runnin'!"

Panting for breath, everyone hurried up the stairs, slowing to a jog at the top when it became apparent that Coach was having trouble keeping up. Ellis had overtaken the women by this point and was already sprinting towards the end of the walkway they were currently on. He stopped by the railing, looking down over the small space at the bottom of the next set of steps where he saw the sign for ' _Whitaker's Gun Shop_ '. A huge, proud, yet relieved grin broke out onto his face. He couldn't wait to get a hold of a real weapon so he could show these zombified sons of bitches who was boss.

"We're here!" He yelled, "We found it!"

"Of course we found it, dumbass!" Nick called back, "You and Coach both led us here!"

Ellis pouted, which the girls found rather adorable, and glared at Nick with narrowed eyes, clearly quite offended that Nick had chosen to call him a dumbass. Julia reached Ellis first, stopping to catch her breath as the others arrived. She saw the look on Ellis' face; the dejection, the humiliation, the hint of anger. She'd felt like that numerous times during the course of her life and she knew how awful it was. So, she carefully reached out, trying to quell down the panic she suddenly felt at what Ellis' reaction might be to being suddenly touched by her, and she patted his shoulder awkwardly, smiling up at him with what she hoped was a reassuring expression.

"Don't listen to him." She said kindly, "He's just being a dick."

Another pang of momentary panic filled her at the thought of Nick overhearing her. She didn't know how he'd react to being called out like that. Kevin had never reacted well to being called out like that. She was suddenly blinded by flashes of her boyfriend's face as they filled her head, his angry, venomous, hateful glare and his snarling mouth as his fist pummelled her over... And over... And _over_. The pain... _Oh, God_ , the pain. The blood, the bruises, the screams...

 _'I'll teach you to call me out in front of company, you pathetic, ugly little bitch!'_

She suddenly took in a sharp, shaky breath, startling not only herself but Ellis as well as she brought herself back to the present day. Ellis didn't even have time to question if she was alright or not because the others had caught up already, and moved straight past them to head down the next set of stairs to get to the gun store. He watched worriedly as the redhead took another harsh breath before she set off after the others, not even pausing to explain what had just happened. She'd just completely zoned out right in front of him, if only for a few seconds, and she'd come back to reality like she was waking up from a nightmare or something. Ellis chewed his lower lip as he tried to think about what could have been going on with her, and joined the others as they quietly entered the gun store.

"Oh, sweet Jesus!" Rochelle exclaimed, gazing at the display of weaponry behind the counter in pure awe, "Look at all these guns!"

"I'm not legally allowed to own a gun..." Nick said, eyeing everyone else warily, "Hope everyone's okay with that..."

"Oh, shit, it's Christmas!" Ellis laughed excitedly, completely ignoring Nick's statement while running around the counter to look at the various weapons.

"Julia, I'm gonna load up this bag with lots and lots of ammo." Coach said, approaching the redhead who removed the bag to give it to him, "It's gonna be very heavy to carry, so do you mind if I take it?"

"Not at all." Julia replied softly, placing her crowbar on the counter, "Does someone else want that?"

"Hell, I'll take it." Ellis said with a grin, placing his pistols in their holsters, "Save us some handgun ammo."

Coach had chosen to take a combat shotgun, which was one of the most badass looking weapons that Julia had ever seen. Ellis grabbed himself a tactical shotgun, while Nick went for a very impressive looking sniper rifle. Rochelle and Julia were focussing at that time on the combat rifle that sat between two other assault rifles, the AK-47 and the M16, the two of those quickly becoming more appealing to them. Rochelle took an AK-47, and Julia, now the only one without a big gun, stepped forward and raised her hand to grab the M16.

"Hey, look! Laser sights!" Ellis laughed, pointing to a stack of the attachable items which sat on a crate nearby, "Oh, yeah!"

Everyone else moved to get a laser sight for their weapon, while Julia went back to studying the rack of weapons. She decided to go with her instinct and take the M16. It wasn't particularly heavy for her to carry, but then again, she wasn't that strong. Would she be able to cope with carrying this for long distances? Well. It wouldn't matter if she could. She'd have to. She'd simply have to learn to cope with it.

"Damn, Jules! Look at you with the assault rifle!" Ellis said brightly, "Here! I saved you a laser sight."

"Thanks, Ellis." Julia said quietly, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Are we ready to move?"

"Yeah, let's go." Coach said, adjusting the bag on his shoulder before moving towards the door that would lead out of the back of the store.

Suddenly, however, all five of them were stopped in their tracks as the intercom by the door kicked into life, and an unfamiliar voice came through to them. Another survivor, of all things.

" _Hello there. My name's Whitaker. I own this establishment._ " The voice said darkly, " _Now, normally, when five bloodstained looters break into my store, I would shoot them where they stand._ "

At this threat, the group all looked at one another. The women looked somewhat nervous, Coach looked as calm and collected as could be expected given the threat they'd just heard, Ellis bit his lip with a hint of anxiety present on his youthful face, and Nick stood there with narrowed, focused eyes, almost as if he was ready to shoot this person as soon as _he_ arrived to shoot _them_.

" _But, you happen to have caught me at an opportune time..._ " Whitaker told them, instantly calming their nerves, " _Take what weapons you need and come upstairs. I reckon we can come to an accordance._ "

With that, there was a buzzing sound followed by a click, which told them that the door had been unlocked remotely for them. They carefully opened the door and climbed the stairs, where they were met with another door and a loudspeaker, which suddenly blared out, causing Julia in particular to almost jump out of her skin.

" _I'm guessing you five'd be heading to the mall for rescue. And I further guess you won't get there, as the road is blocked. I know because I watched CEDA block it._ " Whitaker told them, clearing his throat, " _Now, I've barricaded myself on the roof with ample provisions. But in my haste, I forgot cola. So, here is my proposition... If you go find me some cola at yonder food store, I'll clear a path to the mall for you._ "

The five of them cast a brief glance across the way, spotting the store in question just on the other side of the parking lot they were looking over. The chances were that they were going to be walking into an alarmed building, which would, no doubt, bring them a hell of a lot of unwanted attention.

"I really hope he's not screwing with us." Julia muttered with a sigh, looking up in shock as she heard the loudspeaker kick into life again.

" _I am a man of my word, ma'am. Procure my colas and I'll clear a path to the mall for you. The guns are on the house._ "

"Oh, God..." Julia murmured anxiously as the group set off walking, "How do you guys wanna do this? 'Cause I'll bet that this store is gonna have an alarm..."

"Well, how do you think we should do it, young 'un?" Coach asked, looking at her with those warm eyes of his, "I can see you got an idea goin' on in that smart little head of yours."

"I think... I think we should split into a team of two and a team of three." Julia began, feeling herself becoming a little more confident as she spoke, "Ellis and Rochelle are faster runners than the rest of us, so Ellis can cover Rochelle while she gets the cola. We wait out here and fend off the zombies until they can get past us and head towards Whitaker."

They broke into a jog, hurrying across the large parking lot towards the store entrance. It was eerily quiet out there at the point in time, but the five of them were all damn near certain that it wasn't going to stay that way for much longer, and God only knew how many zombies they were going to have to contend with if this place was indeed alarmed.

"Then, you, me and Nick are gonna follow them and between us, we'll all box Rochelle in so that she's protected." Julia continued, stopping outside the store doors, "That way, we can get both her and the cola to Whitaker in one piece. Ellis, you might wanna give Nick your Molotov. We can create a wall of fire between us and the zombies."

Ellis handed the conman his Molotov cocktail, and Nick pocketed it, looking to the group as they caught their breath. The girl's plan made a lot of sense, especially the part about forming a protective wall around Rochelle, who would be more vulnerable because she'd only have, at the most, one hand free to shoot with. It was actually a very good plan for one that had been thought up in a matter of minutes, not that Nick would ever say so.

"We all agree with Julia's plan?" He asked, and as the group nodded in response to his question, he got out his lighter, and prepared to light the Molotov, "Go."

Ellis and Rochelle shoved the doors to the store open, and sure enough, an alarm started blaring loudly across the empty space in front of them. They headed into the dark store with the ringing of the alarm in their ears, and high above Nick, Coach and Julia, an inhuman scream echoed through the air, which Nick took as a signal to light the Molotov. Seconds later, Ellis and Rochelle returned as zombies started to pour in from the group's right.

"Alright! We got the dude's cola!" Ellis yelled, "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

Nick launched the Molotov towards the oncoming zombies and turned to join the others in the run towards Whitaker. He moved to Rochelle's right, as every other position was taken, and then joined in with the others as they started to shoot the infected that were running towards them from the direction from the store. The zombies that had been coming from the right of the store were currently burning to death, but now, the group had nothing to use that could distract any others that might come their way.

A sudden squealing noise caught their attention, and within seconds, the five of them were confronted with a tall female infected, who was frothing luminous green liquid from her horrifically sore-looking, malformed mouth. Her build was unusual, thin in some areas and rounder in others, her grey skin clad in leggings and a disgustingly filthy bra.

"What the hell is _that_?!" Julia shrieked, opening fire at the running zombie.

"SPITTER!" Nick yelled, his eyes widening as he heard the familiar hacking sound, followed by the sound of her spitting.

He grabbed Rochelle by the arm and tugged her out of the way, Ellis managed to run past the point where the pool of liquid was going to land, and Coach quickly scooped Julia around her midsection and hauled her back to avoid the goo-like substance which splattered on the floor and pooled out in front of them. The Spitter screamed as Ellis shot her in the head with his tactical shotgun, and she fell into a heap on the ground, the remainder of the substance spilling around her.

"Bitch spits this acid stuff that burns. A lot." Coach said to the young woman still in his arms, who was panting from the shock of being hauled backwards, "Sorry for grabbin' you like that, Julia."

"No, really, thanks for getting me out of the way." Julia said with a soft laugh, "You can put me down now, though."

Coach chuckled and set the young woman down on her sneaker-clad feet, ruffling her short hair playfully. The pool of acid melted away, leaving nothing but a wet patch on the concrete where it had just been, which Julia still decided to avoid since she didn't know if there were still traces of the acid stuff left. The last thing she wanted was to ruin her shoes. Ellis yelled at them to move, and Rochelle took the lead this time, rushing towards Whitaker's door with the cola still held in her hands. As a zombie ran at her from the downstairs part of Whitaker's store, she swung the boxed up cola at its head, knocking it to the floor so that Ellis could shoot it dead.

" _There's my cola!_ " Whitaker cried through the loudspeaker, " _Quick! Put it in the box!_ "

A hatch on the bottom half of the door opened up, and Rochelle quickly fed the cola into it, taking her AK-47 back into her hands to attack any oncoming infected. The whooshing sound that caught the group's ears caused them all to look towards the barricade that was blocking them from reaching the mall, and it suddenly exploded which brought smiles to each of their faces. Indeed, Whitaker had kept his word. Coach let out a celebratory laugh and called out to Whitaker, hoping that the store owner could hear him.

"Enjoy that cola, man! Thanks for the guns!"

" _Good luck to ya, gang! God watch over ya!_ " Whitaker replied, and with that, the five survivors turned on their heels and set off walking back in the direction they'd just come to cross over that destroyed barricade, which was now just a smoking pile of rubble.

As they headed down the stairs, the group walked silently, with Coach at the front again, Rochelle and Ellis in the middle and Nick and Julia at the back. Nick studied Julia once more, for the third time since they'd met. Her open green hoodie and her white t-shirt were now splattered with blood and dirt, her curled hair was messy, her forehead was coated with a sheen of sweat, and her face seemed to have gained a small bruise under her right eye at some point. She was tougher than he gave her credit for, and she'd done well. Much better than he'd ever thought she would anyway. Her plan had worked, no-one had gotten hurt except the zombies, and they'd managed to keep Rochelle and Whitaker's cola safe too.

"Thanks for having faith in my plan, Nick."

He wasn't prepared for her to talk to him. She seemed so jumpy that he'd hoped his cold demeanour would've put her off trying to start any kind of conversation with him. He didn't even really know how to respond to her thanking him like that, and it freaked him out that she'd just happened to bring this up when he'd been thinking about it. Regardless, he'd already thought of an answer to shut her up. The last thing he wanted was any of the people he was currently with starting to think of him as a friend, or something ridiculous like that.

"Well. It seemed logical enough." He answered, clearing his throat, "We didn't really have time to come up with anything better."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her look away with... Was that dejection? Good. Might stop her from trying to talk to him again. He didn't want to get into any kind of conversations with any of them since he was hoping to leave them soon. He took the opportunity to walk in front, leaving Julia to walk on her own at the back of the group. Rochelle looked over her shoulder as she saw Nick striding away, wondering what had just transpired between him and Julia. She waited patiently for Julia to catch up, and when Nick got far enough ahead, Rochelle turned to the young woman with concern.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, "What did he just say to you?"

"Oh, nothing." Julia replied, smiling weakly at Rochelle, "I was just thinking about how nice it's gonna be to get outta here."

"Amen to that, sister." Rochelle chuckled, "CEDA had better be in that mall. I don't wanna be stuck here for another minute."

They found themselves walking into the mall's parking lot, and as Coach announced that he could see the mall, Ellis suddenly broke into an excited babble, which earned a very loud groan of irritation from Nick, and Julia couldn't help but notice Rochelle rolling her eyes too as Ellis started to tell his story. She realised that he must've done this a few times already and that the others didn't want to listen to him.

"Oh, man, I _love_ malls! I do. Once, I was in this mall, up in Atlanta, and these guys were dancing for like money and stuff and my friend Dave and I was all..."

"Ellis, we don't have time for this!" Nick snapped, causing Ellis to shrink back slightly.

"O-Okay..."

Julia bit her lip, an awful feeling of pity and embarrassment for the young man welling in her stomach as she watched his face turn pink. She looked at Rochelle and nodded for her to walk in front, and thankfully, the older woman understood what she was intending to do.

"Hey, Ellis?" Julia said softly, "Come and tell me... I wanna hear what happened to you and your buddy."

Ellis slowed down to walk with her, offering her a weak, but grateful smile. None of the others seemed to want him to finish anything he was saying and it felt almost like he was just some outsider... A kid amongst the adults. Yeah, he knew he was somewhat immature and childish, but he just wanted to have a bit of conversation so he could take his mind off the shit that was going on around them. He didn't want to think about what had actually happened to the people he loved and cared about thanks to this Green Flu, and talking ensured that he didn't.

"Nah, it's okay... I know you're just tryin' to be nice." He said, "Oh, I wanted to ask... How old are ya?"

Rochelle spun around at the question with a shocked and somewhat offended look on her face, staring back at Ellis in disbelief. She had to wonder how that boy had been raised if he thought it was in any way polite to ask a question like that.

"Ellis!" She scolded him harshly, "You can't ask a lady that!"

Poor Ellis. He looked so helpless and so awkward like he just couldn't do anything right to please anybody. Julia rolled her eyes and shook her head before protesting to Rochelle that she was perfectly fine with Ellis asking that question. She felt so sorry for him. Everyone seemed to have gotten at him at some point over the past thirty minutes.

"I'm twenty-one."

"Damn, you don't say!" Ellis smiled cheerfully at her, his prior upset seemingly forgotten, "I thought you were younger than that. Eighteen at the most."

"Aww, that's sweet, Ellis. Thanks." Julia replied warmly, "And what about you? I'd put you at my age."

"Aww, shucks..." Ellis said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly, "I-I'm twenty-three."

"Damn, twenty-one and twenty-three." Coach laughed loudly as they moved through the mall's parking lot, "What I wouldn't give to be that age again."

"Why, Coach, how old are you?" Ellis asked innocently.

"Forty-four." Coach answered, looking across slyly at Nick, "What about you, Nicolas?"

"Thirty-five." Nick replied, clearing his throat and looking in another direction, "Rochelle?"

Rochelle was silent for a moment, but after considering that everyone else had just revealed their ages, she saw no reason why she should keep hers a secret. She wasn't as young as Ellis but she wasn't as old as Nick, and what did it matter in the end anyway? The world had fallen apart around them, they were more focused on trying to stay alive and be rescued than anything else, and the only person who'd probably tease her about her age in this group had no place to do so.

"Twenty-nine." She finally said, hearing Coach let out another reminiscent sigh.

"Oh, little sister, what I wouldn't give to be twenty-nine again." He laughed, "You don't look a day past twenty-four."

She found herself blushing at that comment.

"Why, thank you, Coach."

The sound of pounding feet and growls suddenly brought the slightly jovial exchange to an end. Ellis and Julia looked behind themselves, only to find a horde of what had to be at least a hundred infected pouring towards them from all directions. Without a word exchanged between them, the five survivors sprinted like hell towards the waiting mall. Ellis and Julia turned around, running backwards and shooting to try and eliminate some of the oncoming horde. The bullets started to shred through some of the infected, but it just didn't seem to be doing much good.

"Safe room in the mall!" Nick yelled, "Keep running!"

He and Coach got inside first, and they immediately went to remove the items blocking the opposite door so that they could barricade this one as soon as the others were inside. Rochelle came in next, followed by Julia, and then Ellis, who slammed the door behind him and held it shut, reaching to the left of it to grab the metal bar that sat there before slotting it into place. Julia and Rochelle moved to help barricade the door they'd just come through and within a few minutes, the door was completely hidden from their view. The zombies outside were pounding on the door, desperately trying to get in, but the steel door and the mountain of items piled up against it were more than enough to keep them out. Julia found herself moving closer to Ellis out of instinct when the pounding and growling seemed to grow louder, so, sensing her anxiety, the young man placed a calloused hand on her hoodie-covered back, trying to be reassuring.

"Don't worry none..." He said quietly, "They ain't gonna be able to get in."

Julia actually found that Ellis made her feel a little more comfortable than she had been around men in a long time. Perhaps it was his sweet, innocent manner that eased her fears. She could just tell that he'd have trouble raising his hand to anyone unless his own life or someone else's was in danger. After a quick reload of everyone's weapons, they gathered in the centre of the safe room to discuss what to do next.

"Everybody, gather 'round. Let's pray." Coach said, placing his hands together.

Rochelle, Ellis and Julia all looked at each other, trying to decide whether or not to join Coach in a prayer. Rochelle wasn't religious, and even though Julia's mother had been, she herself wasn't. Ellis' mother was also religious and Ellis had gone to church a lot as a young boy, but he hadn't prayed for a long time. He didn't think it'd hurt to join in out of respect for Coach, and neither did Julia or Rochelle. Nick, on the other hand, was standing with his back to the wall of the safe room near the exit door, his arms folded, his foot resting against the wall and his expression cold. As Rochelle, Ellis and Julia gathered around the larger man, they placed their hands together, bowed their heads respectfully and closed their eyes, while Nick simply rolled his eyes for what must've been the fiftieth time that day and shook his head in amusement.

"Dear Lord, see us safely through our time of trial in this mall. And please, Lord... let the food court be okay."

"Amen." Ellis, Rochelle and Julia all ended the prayer in unison, hoping to move on and to the evacuation centre as soon as possible.

"Alright, can we get moving?" Nick asked, lifting the bar off the safe room exit door.

And with that, everyone readied their weapons and headed out of the safe room into the creepily dark mall, where God only knew what was waiting for them...

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to review!**

 **Thanks for reading so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ** _Left 4 Dead 2_** or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hey, guys! Thanks to everyone who's read this story so far! I'm currently writing chapter fourteen and I've got a lot more to go. I really hope you're enjoying this story so far. The lack of feedback is leaving me a little uncertain, but if you're taking the time to read it, I really do appreciate it!

Happy reading!

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Four -**

The mall was almost pitch black as they stepped out of the safe room.

Unsettled by the growls of infected that they could only see the silhouettes of, Julia and Rochelle moved close together, women in solidarity, covering each other's backs. Coach's large form acted as a shield for both girls, keeping them safe from anything attacking from behind. Nick and Ellis were together at the front, walking warily towards a somewhat brighter area near an escalator.

"I hate this." Julia whispered, "It's... It's so creepy..."

"Tell me about it." Rochelle whispered back.

"Hey, if anyone sees a men's store, let me know. I got blood on my suit." Nick said from up front, pausing to shoot a zombie who was wandering by a counter near the bottom of the escalator.

He and Ellis moved to continue shooting the small crowd of infected near the bottom of the escalator while Coach, Rochelle and Julia went to make their way upstairs. Rochelle was thinking about how nice it'd actually be to have a change of clothes, not to mention some other items that she knew she'd be needing soon... Razors, for example.

"That's actually not a bad idea. We can get a change of clothes each and carry them in that sports bag." She suggested, looking back at Coach.

"What's the point when they'll probably just confiscated at evac?" Coach asked, earning an incredulous look from Rochelle, who leant away from Julia briefly to whisper to him.

"What if there isn't an evac?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

Coach knew deep down that Rochelle could be right. He and the others were hoping to see some kind of activity other than zombies walking around, but the fact that they were confronted with no other sign of life apart from said zombies made his heart sink. Maybe the evacuation centre was further in, and they would hold onto that hope, but they would also take on Rochelle's plan and stock up on some supplies.

"Guys?" Coach whispered harshly as Ellis and Nick were returning to them, "Rochelle's got an idea. What the hell is that in your hand, boy?"

"Pipe bomb." Nick said with a chuckle, "That ought to clear us a good path if we need one."

"Yeah, don't go usin' that without good reason." Coach said, eyeing him warily, "Anyway. Rochelle's idea... Go ahead, Ro."

Rochelle, who was busy looking at the escalator, spun around when she realised the group was waiting for her to speak, let out a shocked gasp and a nervous laugh, which earned her yet another roll of the eyes from Nick, who was now admiring the jewellery on his fingers. She wanted to call him an asshole but she knew that time was of the essence, and that it wasn't worth starting an argument when they were trying to find rescue.

"Oh, yeah... Nick was just talking about a men's store, and I figured that since we're in a mall, we might be able to gain access to some stores and pick up some supplies we might need later." She explained, clearing her throat, "There is a possibility, and I hope it's not the case, but... We may have come all this way to find that there isn't an evac here. So... It can't hurt to have a change of clothes and some basic hygiene supplies, right?"

"Of course there'll be an evac, Ro." Ellis laughed heartily, "We just gotta find it."

"I'm sure, you're right, Ellis." Rochelle said with a warm smile, trying to keep his spirits up, "Come on. Let's see what we can find."

They headed up the escalator, finding only a handful of infected at the top, which Rochelle and Julia quickly dispatched with their rifles. Well... The fact that there were fewer zombies up there was a little more of a positive sign, so the five of them set off walking together in the hopes that maybe the evacuation centre was just a little further into the mall. It was just so quiet though... So quiet...

Heading across to a shutter that was clearly broken, half up and half down as though someone had been ragging the shit out of it just to get it out of the way, the group decided to follow Nick's flashlight as he walked in front, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of either danger or rescue. It was so damn quiet...

"I don't like the look of this." Nick muttered, gripping his sniper rifle tightly, "Place seems empty."

"Let's just keep goin'." Coach whispered, "Might be further in."

Shining his light ahead of them, Nick could see that the far end of the section they'd just entered was fenced off. He beckoned for the others to follow him and set off back down the next escalator to see what was waiting for them below. Coach could be heard praying for the food court to be okay as he had in the safe room as they headed back into the darkness and Ellis could be heard whispering some story to Julia at the back of the line, but Nick tried to block that all out. Something was growling further ahead and it didn't sound like a Hunter. This sound was much deeper. Much... _Angrier_...

"Hey! Shut up!" Nick hissed, turning off his flashlight as the group stopped their talking, " _Listen_..."

There was a huffing sound and then a snort, followed by more deep growling. No-one quite knew what to do. Whatever was making that noise didn't sound at all friendly, and they didn't know if they'd be able to pass through the next area without disturbing it. It sounded big... Big, and nasty, and horrid...

"What do we do?" Julia asked, her dark eyes widening in fear, "Do you guys know what that is?"

"Never heard that before." Coach whispered, looking at Nick warily, "We'd better keep movin'. Take it slow, everybody..."

It must've looked hysterically funny to an outsider to see the five survivors creeping along with their guns raised, almost in a cartoonish fashion with their feet barely touching the floor as they moved. The ladies could be heard breathing shakily, their eyes frantically scanning the darkness and almost shielding themselves between the men, who almost immediately formed a tighter group around them. Coach and Nick drew closer to the entrance of the food court and caught sight of an enormous shape moving slowly across and between the kiosks, like something out of a horror movie, and it caused them to stop in their tracks, utterly alarmed. It was still growling and huffing, and whatever it was clearly didn't need or want to be disturbed.

"What the hell is that?" Nick asked in a near-silent whisper, looking at Coach with wide eyes, "Did you see it?"

"I did." Coach whispered back, just as quietly, "That thing was enormous."

"Oh, _God_..." Julia breathed, looking to Rochelle who seemed to be equally as scared, "What do we do?"

"Shhh..."

Instead of being the sharp sound that Nick would've normally made, it was almost soothing; soft and quiet as though he was hushing a frightened child. He held a hand out behind him as if to try and offer some reassurance that everything was okay, even though he knew damn well that it wasn't okay. The last thing they needed right now was people to start panicking. He beckoned the group to follow him and they continued to creep into the darkness, guns gripped tightly in their hands.

Nick was looking for any sign of the damn thing as they moved forward, but his scouting mission was interrupted by a very loud, very frightening roar that came from ahead of them. Through the dimly lit food court, which apparently hadn't survived the zombie apocalypse, a very large, very pink and horrifically angry looking zombie was hurtling towards them, gigantic knuckles dragging along the floor as it moved. Its shoulders were enormous, its much smaller head missing the lower jaw which left its tongue hanging helplessly from its damaged mouth. It was the most terrifying thing they'd ever seen. And they knew that with one hit, it could easily kill any one of them.

"Okay..." Nick breathed out, his face paling, "That's a reason to panic."

"Scatter!" Julia yelled, her eyes tearful and frantic, "Split up! _Go_!"

"Oh, Lordy! That's a big-ass thing!" Ellis yelled, starting to blast the creature with rounds from his shotgun.

He and Julia ran to the right while the others took a left, trying to confuse it so that it didn't know who to go after. Julia was shooting it with her M16 while Ellis was still firing at it, almost frantically, and as it turned towards them, Coach, Rochelle and Nick grouped together behind it, blasting it with their weapons to try and take it out before it could hurt anyone. It was angry, grunting and yelling in pain as it was hit with shot after shot, and the sound of its roaring was mixed with various yells from everyone else to shoot it and kill it. It kept turning, somewhat confused as to who it should chase, but after a few more rounds of ammo, the creature let out one last pained cry and fell to its knees before collapsing to the ground. It was dead.

Panting, the five survivors regrouped, staring down at the monster with horror on their faces. Even Nick was shaken, and the colour still hadn't returned to his face yet which strangely led the others to take some kind of comfort from the fact that they were all as freaked out as each other. Rochelle, who now had a protective arm around a very frightened Julia, cleared her throat.

"I think I heard that... They've been calling those Tanks." She breathed out, "Something like that."

"Tank sounds fucking appropriate." Nick said, staring down at the huge zombie, "Jesus..."

"Everybody alright?" Coach asked, looking at the women who were still trying to recover from the shock of what they'd just seen, "Ladies?"

"I think we're okay." Rochelle answered for both of them, still holding onto Julia and rubbing her arm reassuringly.

Julia ran her hand over her face, swallowing down the lump of fear that was sitting in her throat. She simply nodded since she couldn't actually speak at that point in time, and that was when everyone decided to just pick up and keep moving before they attracted more unwanted attention. They soon realised that the other end of the food court was blocked, so they headed back up an escalator to get to the other side of the barricade they'd encountered previously. At the top of the escalator, the group crossed the empty floor, looking for a possible way out. A shaft of bright light caught the attention of Nick, who moved towards it to find a doorway that had some sort of makeshift ramp leading to the other side of a barricade, and into the breeze block corridors of the mall which held storerooms, restrooms and could be used as an emergency exit. He headed over first, taking out his pistol and shooting at a zombie that stood at the end of the corridor. Ellis came over next, followed by Julia and Rochelle, who Ellis helped down, and then, last but not least, Coach joined them in the corridor. Nick opened a door to their immediate right, shining his light into the room.

"Watch this door..." He said, stepping inside to see what he could find.

"Damn." Coach said as Nick disappeared, "We'd better find that evac in here. I don't wanna go up against another one of those big things again."

"What if we don't find it...?" Julia asked quietly, her eyes still somewhat tearful.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Coach said softly, "You need to keep it together for just a little longer, young 'un. Alright?"

Julia looked at him, her lip trembling as she nodded in response. This was not how things were meant to be. She'd been through enough lately without this nightmare on top. Her boyfriend had abandoned her, after everything he'd put her through, and then there was the reason they'd come to Georgia in the first place... Her hand rested itself on her lower abdomen and she leant back against the wall, trying to pull herself together. Amazingly, since she'd woken up in the hotel, she hadn't thought about what had happened just before she'd come to Savannah with Kevin which was now the reason that she was cradling her lower abdomen.

A beating from him (and a severe one at that) had caused her to miscarry their baby. Finding out she was pregnant at just twenty years old had scared her to death, and finding out that she was pregnant to an abusive man was even more frightening, but she'd hoped against hope that the baby would be enough to change him... Unfortunately, it hadn't been. Three months down the line, he'd beaten her so badly that she'd lost their child. And according to him, that had been her fault. That was the whole reason that they'd waited to come to Savannah in the first place since it took her a very long time to somewhat recover from the physical and emotional trauma of losing the baby. A horrible sensation of guilt swept over her that she'd been so busy trying to survive that the baby hadn't even entered her head, but now...

' _Keep it together._ ' She thought to herself sternly, ' _You're okay. He isn't here to hurt you anymore. You need to be strong for your team. These people are counting on you._ '

"Look what I found."

Nick's voice brought Julia back to reality, and she caught sight of him holding up a Desert Eagle similar to her own. He looked very pleased with himself and with his find, and as he set it in the holster around his right thigh, Julia set off walking in front to just get moving again before she ended up unable to move at all. Ellis jogged ahead to catch up with her, concern evident in his voice when he finally got the courage up to speak to her.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Ellis."

Damn... That response had been robotic as hell. Was she really so well practised at hiding this stuff that she could sound so calm when she felt like she was dying inside? What the hell had Kevin done to her over those two years?

"Thanks." She added, smiling up at him warmly, all traces of her earlier tearfulness now gone.

"No problem." He replied sweetly, "Hey! I wonder if we can get into any of the stores from back here."

Just as they reached the end of the corridor, they found themselves with an open door to the left, and couple of bathrooms to the right. When the others caught up, Coach told them to head left, so Ellis and Julia started to walk down the corridor to their left, being sure to keep an eye out for anything that could be useful. It was deathly quiet. The hopes of there being an evacuation centre somewhere in this building were dwindling, and dwindling quickly.

The checked various store stock rooms, coming across some of the basics they thought they might need just in case the evacuation centre wasn't here, including things like toothpaste and toothbrushes, razors, and even a few feminine hygiene items that had Ellis asking some very uncomfortable questions. Julia had even come across a half-full bottle of hand sanitiser that she decided to keep in her first aid kit in case of emergency. They took the time to do a quick stop and split up the supplies so they each had something in their packs that they could use if necessary before breaking into a jog, trying to find a way back into the main part of the mall. Finally, the group came across one that was at the back of a clothing store, which was the only store they'd come across with its front shutters raised. They would have a way back out into the mall, where they could continue to search for the evacuation centre.

They tore open boxes, grabbing enough items for one completely clean change of clothes each, and then entered the main section of the store, stopping dead in their tracks when they spotted a blinking alarm above the door, and a small crowd of zombies wandering around near their exit. Nick adjusted the duffel bag he now had over his shoulder, looking up at the alarm before trying to search for a way to turn it off. One of the zombies, however, chose that moment to turn towards them, and that caused the others to do the same. They formed a tight pack, running towards the group with their arms outstretched.

Before anyone could stop him, Ellis started shooting round after round into the infected that were approaching the group, and as one of the bodies flew backwards, it crashed through the store's front window, and the horrific sound of an alarm began to ring in their ears. Nick cursed, Rochelle and Julia gasped in horror, and Coach whirled on a now very anxious Ellis, who had the look of a child being scolded by a parent.

"Boy, you ain't got any sense in that head, do you?!"

The scream that filled the seemingly empty mall was enough to make the group flinch, and the group didn't hesitate before breaking into a run, climbing quickly through the broken store window. The sound of pounding feet somehow seemed louder than the ringing of the alarm, and as infected started to approach from both sides of them, the group started to open fire on them.

"We gotta shut off this alarm!" Nick yelled over the noise, trying to look for a way to go.

"Try upstairs! There'll be a security office somewhere!" Julia yelled back, "Come on!"

She and Ellis ran at the front, him following her to the other side of the floor and towards the escalator. As she reached it, she stopped, beckoning the group past her while trying to shoot at oncoming zombies. Ellis set off running up the escalator first, with Coach, Nick and Rochelle hot on his heels.

"Go! Go! Go!" Julia yelled, continuing to shoot the oncoming horde.

When Rochelle was past her and halfway up the escalator, Julia quickly followed, taking the opportunity to reload her weapon. Coach was already running towards what could possibly be the security room, and Rochelle had soon overtaken Ellis and then Nick to join the eldest of their group at the front. Julia was at the back, still trying to shoot the oncoming zombies. Over the scream of the alarm, Julia's ears tuned into a new sound. It began like a poor attempt at mimicking a horse's neigh and then was accompanied by manic giggles, which seemed to get more and more manic as it got closer. She turned around quickly and within a second, she spotted it; a little zombie with long arms, red hair and a clownish, ugly looking face, that sprinted towards her at incredible speed with no other zombies in the way to slow it down. She tried to shoot at it, but it almost expertly dodged her shots like something out of _The Matrix_ before taking a flying leap through the air. It landed on her shoulders, spun itself so that it was sitting at the back of her head and dragged her by the hair into a pillar at the side of her, causing her to shriek out in pain.

Nick and Ellis both skidded to a stop, spinning around to see the creature riding on Julia's back as it tugged her towards the glass of the balcony. They both sprinted towards her, trying to shoot at it, but not before it had forced her into the glass, which caused to her let out a terrified scream as it broke on impact. It was toying with her, making her lean towards the edge as though it was going to send her falling to her death. She was so high up that it made her dizzy, her heart pounding wildly as she fought for control. She managed to get herself turned around so that her back was to the edge, but as someone managed to fatally shoot the little creature, its hands slipped, grabbing her around the throat and pulling her with it. She stumbled backwards, her heart in her mouth, reaching out for anything that might save her.

She felt a calloused hand, hot and slightly sweaty grab onto hers, and she felt something pulling around her throat. She looked up into the grey-green eyes of Nick, who now had a tight hold on her right hand and arm with both of his larger hands. Ellis managed to pry the hands of the zombie from around her neck, and it fell with a final cry over the edge, allowing Nick and Ellis to bring her away from the edge. She collapsed to her knees, exhausted and in shock, and it was only then that she realised that the alarm had stopped. Her face and neck felt sore, as though she'd been scratched, and when she put her hand to her throat to check for bleeding, she found herself met with a slight smearing of the red liquid across her dainty fingers.

"Shit..." She cursed, completely unprepared for the calloused fingers that she felt suddenly against the skin of her throat.

In a moment of panic, she gasped and shot backwards out of the way of whoever was touching her, her eyes squeezing shut out of instinct. Unexpected contact, in her experience, wasn't usually good, especially when someone went to touch her throat like that. She'd been so used to being suddenly grabbed like that that her instinct to protect herself had kicked in, even when the touch had been much more gentle. She heard footfalls around her and then felt the fingers on her neck again, this time approaching with more caution.

"Hey... Let me see." The voice wasn't Ellis' as she'd expected, but Nick's, and it was uncharacteristically soft as was his touch, "It's not too bad... It'll probably stop bleeding in a couple of minutes."

"What the hell was that?" Julia asked, slowly getting to her feet while trying to recover from her shock.

" _That_ was a Jockey." Nick said with a wink, "They like to give us humans a good humping while trying to drive us towards any kind of danger they can. Little bastards."

Ellis handed Julia her gun, which she hadn't even realised she'd dropped, and she thanked him for returning it to her with an embarrassed smile. Her aim had been terrible when trying to get the damn thing that it was no wonder she got ridden around like that. She definitely had to take more care and up her game.

"Guys?!" Rochelle's voice sounded so loud as she called to them from the security room, "Everything okay?"

"Fine!" Ellis called back cheerfully, "We're comin'!"

The three broke into a jog, hurrying to catch up with Rochelle and Coach who were waiting patiently for them in the security room. When Coach saw Julia's dishevelled appearance and bleeding neck, he checked her over with concern, despite her insistence that she was fine. She didn't want to be so up close and personal with people and she didn't want unfamiliar hands touching her either, especially not after being 'humped', as Nick had so eloquently said it.

"Jockey got her." Ellis said quietly, seeming to sense the young woman's discomfort, "Nick already checked her over, Coach, she's okay."

Coach nodded, patting the twenty-one-year-old on the back. They took a moment to recover from the sprint up to the security room, standing in nervous silence. Once again, the quiet of the mall was getting to them. They were each starting to get seriously worried that indeed, there was no evacuation centre here. Then what would they do?

"Let's move." Coach said quietly, "Come on..."

After making their way out of the back of the security room and down a flight of stairs, the group came to another long corridor. There were no infected in the corridor, but they were definitely nearby. Their growls, groans and shouts could be heard at the end. It sounded eerie in the dimly lit corridor and it sent chills down their spines as they slowly walked towards the end of it.

"We've gotta be close..." Nick murmured, stepping into the next room with the others in tow, "We've just gotta be."

While Nick, Coach and Rochelle were checking the room for supplies, Ellis and Julia walked slowly together towards the exit, and towards what looked like a very quiet, very bloodied evacuation centre. Ellis shone his light on the area ahead, illuminating the bloodbath that indeed had once been a bustling and very much alive evacuation centre. There were bodies everywhere... And no sign of any living thing apart from the odd, wandering zombie that stumbled in the darkness further in.

"Oh, God... This... This is just _awful_..." Ellis breathed, his face drained of colour and his expression one of despair and horror.

"What is it?" Rochelle asked, hurrying through with the others, "Ellis?"

"There's... There's no evac..." Ellis murmured, keeping his flashlight on the mess in front of them.

"Damn... I hope somebody got out alright." Coach said quietly, moving forward to take a closer look.

"CEDA. Leaving me twice in one day." Nick said, his face a portrait of both irritation and what could only be described as suppressed rage, "Lesson learned."

Julia stared at the bodies piled up on the floor, the blood pooled around them and smeared all around the evacuation centre, her heart leaping into her throat. Her boyfriend had left her for dead... And from the look of this, they were going to die there in that mall. She was going to die with strangers, not knowing where that son of a bitch had gotten to, or why he'd abandoned her. The poor people who'd been here before them... What had they gone through? Tears pricked at her eyes. Tears of frustration, betrayal, hurt, fear and pure devastation at the thought that her life was going to end so soon and in such an awful way and that these poor people had been killed like this. It must've been a horrendous ordeal to go through.

A small sob left her lips, and she threw her hands to her mouth, her gun falling to the ground beside her. Once she'd started to cry, she didn't seem to able to control it and now, in addition to all her other emotions, she felt embarrassed and ashamed that she'd lost it in front of everyone else. The other four survivors stared at her, surprised by her sudden outburst. Rochelle covered her mouth as well, her fingers curled into a fist, trying to keep her composure. She wasn't one to get emotional, but she knew this was bad, and she felt so awful for the youngest member of their team who was clearly distraught that it was hard not to cry with her.

"Oh, no... Don't cry..." Ellis moved towards Julia carefully, gingerly drawing her close to him to try and hug her, "Don't cry... It's gonna be okay, Jules. We'll think of somethin'."

When no-one else tried to help comfort Julia, Ellis looked up at his fellow teammates, seemingly not far from bursting into tears himself. Nick couldn't help but take a step back. If the younger man burst into tears, Nick didn't want to be in the firing line.

"Won't we?" The stern tone of Ellis' voice brought almost an instant reaction from the others.

"Of course we will." Rochelle said, moving towards Julia and offering her a supportive back rub.

"Yeah, _sure_." Nick rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Damn right we will." Coach's voice was the most determined, so much so that everyone's gaze was drawn to him now instead of Julia, "You bet your asses we will. Come on. I ain't waitin' around here to die."

Ellis picked up Julia's M16 for her, handing it back to her as she tried to dry her eyes. He patted her shoulder and headed after Coach, clearly feeling better about the situation due to Coach's determination. Rochelle eased Julia forward, looking back at Nick, who was glancing between the abandoned evacuation centre and the retreating forms of Coach and Ellis.

"You coming with us, Nick?" She asked.

Nick hadn't wanted to stick with anyone but now? Now, it seemed better to be with a group of people than alone. Safety in numbers and all that. Plus, the four survivors he was with weren't so bad. Coach was optimistic and clearly obsessed with food, but he was also smart and good at keeping people's spirits up. Ellis was irritating as hell, but the kid's heart was in the right place, and he seemed to be pretty loyal which was a good team bonus. Rochelle was smart, pretty and she kicked ass, which again, was another plus for the team. Then there was Julia, the cute, petite redhead who was smart, way too nice for her own damn good and skittish as hell. Nick shrugged to himself. He could cope with them for a little longer, he supposed. Better than dying in this dump.

"Sure." He said with a sigh, moving to catch up with the others, "Come on. Let's find a way outta this shithole."

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Greetings once again! I hope that everyone who's read this so far is enjoying this story! I hope the chapters aren't too long for you guys. I like to make sure that each chapter has plenty of content.

 _ **WATERDOG139:**_ Thank you so much for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing! It means so much to me, and I hope you continue to enjoy the chapters that I publish for you. I'm on chapter fifteen now with a long way to go, so there's plenty more coming your way!

Happy reading!

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Five -**

After the shock of finding the abandoned evacuation centre, the five survivors had made what was actually a very short journey to the next safe room in complete silence.

They were all tormented by the fact that they'd been left by CEDA once again, each of them for different reasons. It was just plain bad luck that they would each miss two different evacuations that day, and the thought of chasing evacuation stations across the country was less than pleasing. They weren't going to dwell on it, though. They were going to move on and try and get the hell out of that mall before they ended up dead at the hands of the zombies wandering in and around the damn place. Sitting in their little safe room, the group took a moment to try and gather themselves. Julia was no longer upset, realising very quickly that she needed to pull herself together so that all of them could survive this mess.

"Okay... I think we need to make for New Orleans." Rochelle said, a look of urgency on her face, "That's the only place in the whole damn country that hasn't fallen yet."

"The question is, how the hell are we gonna get there?" Nick asked, "I'm not exactly happy about the thought of trying to hotwire a car in the parking lot."

Ellis' head perked up suddenly from his place in the corner. The posters he'd been seeing around the mall hadn't really registered with him until this point. The mall had been set to have a grand reopening and one of Ellis' favourite sportsmen was supposed to be there. Jimmy Gibbs Jr. And what would be with Jimmy Gibbs Jr? His stock car. If they could just get their hands on it, they'd be home free.

"We won't need to hotwire a car in the parking lot..." The young man said, smiling brightly, "There's car in this mall someplace. We just need to find it... And I bet we're gonna have to gas it up too."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Nick said irritably, "What car?"

"That car." Ellis said, pointing to a poster of Jimmy Gibbs Jr standing by the car in question.

Everyone's gaze slowly moved to where Ellis was pointing, and they finally saw the poster that he was referring to. There was, indeed, a vehicle on display somewhere in this building. It was enough to fill them with a little bit of hope that they might just be able to make it out of there alive.

"Jimmy Gibbs Jr...?" Rochelle asked, "Who's that...?"

"Only the greatest stock car racer of all time!" Ellis exclaimed, "Try readin' a book sometime."

"Wow. Rude." Rochelle scolded him with narrowed eyes, "Cars were never really my thing."

"That man right there," Ellis began, "Is the pride of Georgia. I would take a bullet for that man. And let me tell ya, if the laws of nature allowed it, I would bear that man's children!"

Four pairs of eyes gazed at the younger man, shocked, amused and even a little creeped out. Ellis looked so happy about that statement. He clearly hadn't thought about what that would entail if the laws of nature did permit him to bear another man's children. Shuddering, Julia broke the awkward silence, rubbing her hands together nervously.

"O-Kaaaayyy..." She said, clearing her throat, "Uh, shall we get going?"

Nick smirked, stepping past the young woman to take the bar off the safe room door as she brushed a lock of hair out of her face. He pushed the door open slowly and stepped out with Julia in tow, followed by Rochelle, Coach and then Ellis, who was still grinning proudly to himself at the back of the line, probably because he'd actually been able to educate someone else about something, rather than being made to feel stupid.

"Hey, Ellis?" Julia called to the younger man from her place in the line, "Is this gonna be as simple as just getting in the car and driving away, or...?"

"Nope. Like I said, the fuel tank's gonna be empty. They generally don't fuel cars up at events like this, so we're gonna have to find some gas." Ellis replied from the back of the group, his voice still as enthusiastic as ever.

"Oh, great." Nick murmured, shaking his head in displeasure, "Where the hell are we gonna find gas in here?"

"It'll be around somewhere. They'd have to refuel the car to get it out of the mall at the end of the event." Ellis answered, "We'll have to split up and look around."

"Nobody wanders off on their own." Coach said in a surprisingly stern tone, "Nick, I want you to go with Ellis and Rochelle, and I'll stay with Jules. Two of you can carry the gas, and one person can do the shooting. The more gas we can get into that car, the better."

"Yeah, let's do it." Ellis said, excitement very clear in his voice.

They headed out into a surprisingly well-lit space, that the group presumed was the atrium. There was still a lot of construction work to be done judging by the scaffolding and abandoned paint pots and rollers, but when they headed along a walkway to an all-glass elevator, they immediately spotted their escape vehicle. It was a 1969 Dodge Charger stock car, painted blue with a white stripe along the top of the bodywork, and covered in various logos, including a big red number twenty-two and Jimmy Gibbs Jr's name.

"Okay... Before we all go running off in search of gas..." Rochelle said quietly as they stepped into the elevator, "Let's make sure we can actually all fit in this vehicle, 'cause... I'm having my doubts."

"Of course we can all fit in there." Ellis laughed, "It might just be a little cosy in the back."

"I'm with Rochelle." Julia said softly, "We need to organise seating arrangements and we should also leave our bags in the car so we can make a quick getaway. If we're in a tight spot, the last thing we need is to be fumbling around trying to get into the car."

"The girls are right." Nick murmured, "Let's take a look at it when we get down there."

He pushed the button on the elevator wall, bringing the doors to a close so that they could begin their descent. The journey to the bottom was slow, and it was also silent. Julia, who was standing awkwardly next to Coach, was really hoping and praying that the rest of her time with her fellow survivors wouldn't be this awkward. She hated awkward silences.

The doors opened, and Ellis practically sprinted out of the elevator to go and look at the car. He was jumping up and down excitedly, clapping his hands together like a child on Christmas morning. Nick snapped at him to quieten down as the others approached the car, and they quickly opened the doors so that they could have a look at the car's interior.

"Huh..." Ellis said with a huff of laughter, "It's your lucky day, folks. Stock cars usually just have one seat, never mind all five."

"Oh, terrific." Nick murmured, opening the door on the passenger side of the car, "Let's just prep this thing so we can make a quick getaway if necessary."

They decided that Ellis would drive, Coach would ride shotgun, Rochelle would sit behind Ellis, Nick behind Coach and Julia would sit in the middle, although the idea of being so close to other people wasn't appealing at all to her. She didn't want to spend God only knew how many hours next to Nick, especially if he was going to be unpleasant for the whole journey. Ellis even warned them that Julia may end up having to sit on someone's lap, which was even more discouraging.

While Nick, Rochelle and Julia tried to figure out how best to arrange themselves in the back, Coach was busy trying to disperse what ammo he'd found in the centre of the room so that everyone could at least have a good stash with them as they went on their little scavenger hunt, and once the car was prepared for fuelling with its seats pulled forward so that Nick, Rochelle and Julia could scramble into the back, everyone got into their assigned groups and started to make their way off looking for any fuel cans. Ellis figured they'd need between six and eight cans at the most, so they would just grab as many as they could and whatever wouldn't fit in the tank would be brought either as spares or left behind if there wasn't enough room in the car. Rochelle and Julia, assigned gas can carriers, left their bigger guns in the trunk of the car with everyone's bags, since they had nowhere else to put them while they carried the cans of gas.

Coach and Julia headed off to the left of the vehicle and back in the direction of the elevator, while Nick, Rochelle and Ellis took the stairs to the right. As they jogged up the steps, Ellis was babbling excitedly about how he couldn't wait to drive Jimmy Gibbs Jr's car. Nick was trying to avoid thinking about how uncomfortable this little road trip was going to be, stuck in a car with a bumbling idiot, a guy who does nothing but talk about food, a woman who was clearly an emotional wreck and Rochelle. Well... Being stuck in the back of the car with Rochelle didn't seem too bad. At least she had sense and personality, he supposed. He glanced across the atrium, spotting Coach and Julia who were rushing to climb the stairs opposite them.

"Come on, Coach." Julia encouraged the older man in a gentle voice, "We've got this."

"Damnit... I knew I shoulda lost some weight!" Coach cursed himself, stopping for breath as they got to the top of the stairs.

Julia hurried ahead, shining her light on what looked like two gas cans sitting in a darkened corner on a sheet of newspaper. Indeed, it was an odd place to find them but she'd found them nonetheless. Grinning, she jogged over to them, hearing the sound of Coach's footfalls as he joined her while she put her Magnum away. She was just picking the cans up when there was a sudden pounding on the door to their right, and growls, cries and angry yells started to come from behind it which sent chills down both survivors' spines.

"Oh, shit..." Coach said in a low voice, watching as part of the door broke away, "You go check over there while I try and hold 'em off."

Julia moved across the way to see if she could spot any other cans, while Coach started to open fire as the infected broke down the door. Behind some of the wooden panels of the scaffolding, Julia came across a third can, so, pinning one under her arm, she grabbed the third, and set off running back across to the stairs. The more she could carry at once, the quicker they could get their asses out of that damn mall. It wasn't easy to carry them either. Her small hands struggled to grip the handles on the cans and her arm was already hurting from pinning the third to her body, but they didn't have time to come running back for more.

"Let's go!" She called to Coach, running behind him and towards the stairs.

He followed her, running backwards as he continued to shoot at the oncoming horde of zombies. The door that was on the opposite side of the space, where Julia had just returned with her third can of fuel, also started to come apart as zombies pounded on it from the other side. Spotting zombies heading towards the stairs, Julia panicked, backing up so that she was behind Coach who turned his shotgun on the oncoming infected. Clearing a path for her, he let Julia bolt in front towards the car, where she dropped two of the cans before unscrewing the lid of the remaining can in her left hand.

She carefully eased it towards the opening of the fuel filler pipe and started to pour, emptying the whole of the can into it. Once it was empty, she launched the empty can out of the way, grabbing another one to start filling. Up above her to her left, Rochelle was running with two cans, one in either hand, while Ellis, who was carrying an extra can, and Nick were trying to keep her protected from what looked like a colossal horde of zombies.

"Whoever scattered these cans around like this is a fucking _sadist_!" Nick yelled angrily, opening fire with his sniper rifle on the zombies that were almost tripping over each other to get at them.

Down below, Coach was covering Julia's back, shooting anything that came her way as she poured her final can into the fuel filler pipe. She threw it out of the way as hard as she could, but just as it hit the floor, she heard a very familiar roaring that sent her heart into her throat. It was a Tank, and it sounded as though it was coming from the far end of Atrium.

"Oh, fuck..." She breathed, taking out her Magnum, despite knowing it wouldn't do much good.

The pounding of the massive zombie's feet grew louder and louder, and the ground around them started to tremble, almost causing poor Rochelle to lose her balance. Coach shared a worried look with Julia, who was looking around for anything that could possibly save them at this point. The Tank appeared at the far end of the atrium, hurtling towards them at an alarming speed.

"We have to lead that thing away from Rochelle and let her fill up the rest of the fuel tank!" Ellis' voice echoed across the cavernous space, "It only needs about two more cans' worth of gas!"

"Why the fuck have you brought a third then?!" Nick demanded.

"Well, for one, I didn't know how much Coach and Jules had with them, and two, we now have a spare for the road!" Ellis answered, "Now shoot the damn Tank!"

The huge zombie was almost upon them, snarling, snorting and growling, its enormous arms swinging wildly as it hit other zombies out of the way and smashed the kiosks it was passing into pieces. Julia, realising that they had to lead it away fast, shot at it with her Magnum. If she could piss it off enough to make it follow her, the others could kill it by shooting it from the back. The downside was that she could potentially die doing this, but, the others at least would be able to get out of there and her sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. The Tank looked at her with its rage-filled, frightening eyes and in that look, Julia had made her decision. She broke into a run towards it, continuing to shoot it with her Magnum.

"Julia!" Coach yelled, opening fire on the Tank, "What are you doin', girl?!"

Taking a right around the damaged remains of the kiosk that the Tank had just smashed up, Julia looked over her shoulder to see it following her. She turned around and started shooting it, thankful to see Ellis, Nick and Coach blasting the monstrous thing with round after round of ammo. Unfortunately for Julia, however, it was catching up with her. Her red curls bounced wildly as she sprinted away from it, her sneaker-clad feet pounding on the floor in an attempt to get away from it.

Suddenly, a tremendous force and horrifically sharp pain seared through her body and it occurred to the twenty-one-year-old that the Tank had just hit her. She was flying towards the wall at the back of the atrium, way too far away from the car to even think about making it back to it, and all she had time to do was to cover her head and try to brace herself for the impact.

The slam of her body hitting the wall seemed so loud to her that she thought it'd attract another wave of infected people to them. The pain was indescribable at the moment that her body hit the wall, but it didn't last long. It was replaced almost immediately with a sickening ache, which only intensified when she hit the floor right in the Tank's path. She curled in on herself for a moment, winded, trying to get up the strength to move out of the monstrosity's way before it could hit her again. Its arm was in the air, ready to strike her and probably crush her into nothing but a pile of mashed up skin, muscle, blood and bone. She covered her head, letting out a terrified scream as its shadow loomed over her.

The blasting of the guns was soon the only thing she could hear, and Julia cracked open an eye to see the Tank collapsing in front of her. Relief washed over her at the realisation that the Tank was dead, it wasn't going to kill her, and when she met eyes with Coach, she realised that she was probably going to be able to escape with them. Ellis and Nick were already racing back towards the car to help Rochelle, who was now being crowded by infected.

"Come on, young 'un!" Coach yelled over the gunfire, kneeling down to try and help Julia to her feet.

Julia pushed herself up, groaning in pain as she did. She and Coach started to run for the car and thankfully, enough adrenaline was now pumping through Julia's veins to keep her moving at a very fast pace. Rochelle had just slammed down the trunk where the others presumed the final gas can had been placed, and she was now being ushered into the back of the car by Ellis, while Nick was waiting with the door open for Julia to get in first, shooting at any zombies that approached them. Ellis could be seen pushing his seat back and then climbing inside, slamming the driver's door shut.

Arriving at the car, Julia scrambled inside, almost falling over as she landed next to Rochelle who then scooted as close to the side of the car as possible so that everyone else had space to get in. Nick eased himself in backwards and at speed, cursing immediately at how cramped the back of the vehicle was. Poor Rochelle was trying to get comfortable while holding onto Ellis's gun, and Nick was trying to find a suitable place to put his sniper rifle. Coach slammed his seat back into place which hit Nick's knees, causing the suited man to draw a leg back, knee towards his chest which was very difficult in his suit and kick the seat out of frustration as Coach climbed into the car, rearranging his shotgun haphazardly between his knees.

"Come on, boy, step on it!" Coach yelled, slamming his door shut as zombies seemed to pour from every direction around them.

Ellis started the car, bouncing in his seat with excitement as the engine roared to life. The wheels started to spin as he accelerated, and as he finally got moving, everyone else was hanging on for dear life.

"Here we go!" Ellis cried, whooping as he got the car off the podium and started to drive towards the doors opposite them.

The car was powerful enough that they were at a high speed within a few seconds. Seeing the boarded-up doors getting closer at a stupidly quick pace, Rochelle and Julia pressed close together while Nick grabbed a hold of the back of Coach's seat, anything to keep himself held upright. They made contact with the boards and then the glass of the doors, bursting out of them at such speed that the car flew off the top of the steps leading up the main entrance of the mall, landing with a such a hard thud that Julia and Rochelle almost bounced out of their seats.

Coach spun around to look between the seats at his comrades, who were clearly _very_ cramped in the back of the car. Nick was uncomfortably squashed between the side of the car and Julia, who looked less than thrilled to be there, while Rochelle was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, also clearly struggling with the lack of space. Kindly, Coach decided to take Ellis' gun from Rochelle, allowing her a little more breathing room as he balanced it next to his own. In the brief silence that followed, Rochelle turned her gaze to a very anxious Julia, remembering how she almost got herself killed trying to protect her from the Tank. She placed a motherly arm around the younger woman, offering her a reassuring rub of the arm as she had at the abandoned evacuation centre.

"Sweetie, are you hurt?" She asked gently.

"I'm okay..." Julia said breathily, "Just achey."

"Here."

Looking up, Julia met Nick's grey-green eyes with her deep brown ones, her gaze then flitting down to his large hand where he held a bottle of pills. Pain relievers by the look of it. Unscrewing the lid with her dainty fingers, she shook a couple of the pills into her hand and swallowed them dry, something which made Rochelle cringe a little beside her. She fastened the lid back onto the bottle and handed the pills back to Nick with a weak, nervous smile, feeling very grateful that he'd been kind enough to offer them to her.

"Th-Thank you..." She muttered, watching him pocket them quickly.

He gave her a nod in return, which she assumed was simply in acknowledgement, before moving to look out of the window with a heavy sigh of irritation, probably from being so uncomfortable and cramped.

"We really ought to pull over when we get to a quieter area and check that you've not broken any ribs, darlin'." Coach said gently, "That Tank backhanded you with some force."

The thought of them finding the bruises on her arms and torso caused panic to rise in the back of her throat, giving her the urge to vomit. She didn't want them to ask her awkward questions, and she certainly didn't want the embarrassment of having to admit that her boyfriend had beaten her so badly that she couldn't bend down without being in agony. She didn't want to have to tell strangers that the man who she loved and was supposed to trust had left her for dead in that horrid hotel. And the more she got herself hurt, she realised, the more risk there would be of them seeing her injuries.

"Honestly, I'm fine." She said, brushing a strand of her copper-coloured hair behind her ear, trying to avoid everyone's gaze as they gave her odd looks, "It didn't hit me that hard."

"Whatever, sweetie." Nick muttered, rolling his eyes as he looked out of the window again.

"Hey, you guys wanna stop off someplace for the night, or just keep goin'?" Ellis asked, keeping his focus on the road.

"We've had a hard day, and a long one." Coach said, "We really oughta rest somewhere tonight, but... I guess we could keep goin' and drive in shifts."

"Oh, _fantastic_." Nick snarled, "And how the fuck do you expect us to sleep back here? We're almost inside each other we're that fucking close together."

"Really, Nick?!" Rochelle asked, disgusted with his choice of words.

"What? It's true!" Nick replied, indicating Julia with his thumb, "Poor old Raggedy Anne's more stuck than a mouse in a trap! I'm wedged between her and this side of the car! I can't sleep like this!"

Julia wasn't really paying much attention to this particular conversation. The second that Nick started to raise his voice, her heart rate must've doubled at the very least. Panic started to claw at her again as the face of her boyfriend came to the forefront of her mind once more, distracting her completely from the situation she was currently in. Kevin was beautiful to look at. Dark-haired, dark-eyed, strong, handsome features, toned body... But once he got angry and that snarl made its way onto his face, when he would bear his teeth and get so close to her face that she would squeeze her eyes shut, he frightened the life out of her and he became almost demonic to look at.

 _'The only reason I'm here is 'cause no other asshole's retarded enough to love you!'_

"You can't expect us to sit like this all the way to New Orleans, Ellis." Nick's voice brought Julia back with a short, quiet, shaky breath, "Rochelle's right. We need a bigger vehicle."

Rochelle's hand on her back caused Julia to physically jolt, which earned her a concerned look from the older woman. Avoiding her gaze, Julia tried to focus on the conversation that was being had, hoping that Rochelle wouldn't ask her what was wrong. She didn't want to go there. And as long as she could, the redhead wouldn't allow herself to get into a situation where she'd have to go there. The thought of explaining what her boyfriend had done to her was unbearable.

"I ain't abandonin' this car, Nick!" Ellis protested.

"Please, can we just...?" Julia didn't realise she'd spoken until everyone's gaze was on her again, "Can we stop yelling at each other? Today's been hard enough."

She shrank back in her seat as best she could and started to fidget with her fingers, trying to avoid looking at the others. Rochelle looked across at Nick, who was staring at Julia suspiciously before his gaze turned to hers. They were thinking the same thing, Rochelle could tell. Something wasn't right with the youngest member of their group. She was panicky and jumpy, not to mention the fact that she kept phasing out on them and that, if they were totally honest, she just acted rather oddly in general.

"Ellis, I do have to agree with everyone else about the car. This really isn't the best mode of transport." Julia murmured, keeping her eyes trained on her hands.

"Instead of complaining, why don't y'all just shut up and enjoy the fact that we're not havin' to walk for a while." Ellis said in an unusually angry and defensive tone, "I got us outta there, didn't I?"

"Ya did." Coach said in a placating tone, "And we're very grateful for it. Aren't we, y'all?"

"Yes." Rochelle and Julia spoke together, both turning to look at Nick when he didn't respond.

After a long sigh, almost like that of a teenager who'd been asked to take out the trash, Nick also said he was grateful, and turned his gaze to the road that was steadily passing them by, deciding, for once, to keep his mouth shut. Rochelle, who still had an arm around Julia, pulled her closer to hug her in a motherly fashion while the young woman tried to calm her nerves and settle down for the trip ahead. She couldn't really look at much other than Nick from the position she was sitting in, and she was sure that he wouldn't appreciate her staring at him. So, she turned her gaze to the dashboard and tried to keep herself from wandering into more thoughts of Kevin as the car fell into silence.

Unfortunately for the group, Ellis had anything but a quiet journey planned, and as they finally managed to find a way onto a highway, Coach, Nick, Rochelle and Julia internally groaned as they heard Ellis speak from the driver's seat.

"Hey, did I ever tell y'all about the time my buddy Keith tried campin' on top of a buildin' once...?"

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thank you for reading so far!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I'm back again with chapter six, and I'm pleased to announce that chapter sixteen is now in progress. I really hope you're enjoying this so far, and I'd like to thank everyone who's read this so far! It really means a lot to me! Again, feedback is always appreciate so please feel free to review!

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Six -**

By the time dusk came, everyone was so exhausted following their escapades of that day that they agreed to try and find another safe room to stay in for the night.

Nick, Julia and Rochelle were all suffering from aches and pains after being cramped up for so long, and as they parked up outside this particular safe house, which happened to be a motel, they could easily see that it had been barricaded like a fortress. It was made up of three separate rooms; two bedrooms and an adjoining bathroom but unfortunately, it had no working hot water or electricity, meaning that the group were having to use some rather shitty camping lanterns that the last people in this safe room had left behind for a source of light. The girls were given one bedroom, and the guys took the other, with the agreement that they would take various turns at keeping watch in case there were any emergencies and they needed to leave in a hurry. Despite their protests, Rochelle and Julia were told to get their rest that night, and the guys would take it in turns to keep watch.

Before the girls went to bed, the group sat in the boys' room, which was bigger, eating a dinner of CEDA provided pasta and vegetables, which were the only Meal-Ready-to-Eat packets left in this particular safe room. They each had a bottle of water as well, and as they sat down together to eat, Ellis decided that now would be the perfect time to get to know one another a little better, and started to ask everyone what they used to do before the world went to hell.

Coach, much to no-one's surprise, used to help out with coaching for Savannah's freshman tour team and actually had a degree in Physical Education, which was a piece of information that Nick rudely scoffed at before making rather insensitive comments about the other man's weight. It transpired that a knee injury in college had stopped him from having the football career he'd wanted, but Coach had still managed to get himself a career where he could have some part in the sport he loved so much.

Nick had found it a bit difficult to talk about his past career. Gambling, cheating and conning people wasn't exactly something to be proud of. Not to mention his other past criminal activities. He was quite happy to have a bitch about his ex-wife though, who he divorced due to the fact that she just liked to open her legs for anyone who'd ask her to while she happily spent the money he brought home to her. He'd received some rather unwanted sympathy from the others in that respect, and had instead, directed the conversation Rochelle's way.

Rochelle had been an associate producer for a news station but finally got her big break when everyone started calling in sick due to the sudden illness that had basically wiped out the United States. That was how she'd ended up in Savannah, and her job was now something that she was cursing, which she never thought she'd do since she had such a passion for it. She worked damn hard in her job, but if she knew she'd end up stranded out in Georgia, she wouldn't have gone there in the first place.

Ellis couldn't wait to tell everyone about what he used to do before all the shit hit the fan. He ran an auto shop with a couple of buddies and had even built himself an armoured truck to escape in until the zombies got a hold of it and ruined all his hard work. He talked animatedly about his friends and his mother, who he used to go and eat Sunday dinners with every week without fail after picking her up from her weekly church visit. After talking about his mother for a while, however, he fell into a state of sadness and finally stopped talking, deciding to ask Julia about her life before the outbreak.

"I was a grocery store clerk back home in Illinois." Julia began, her voice quiet, "I lived with my boyfriend, Kevin... We were out here on vacation when everything went to hell. I didn't even want to come out here, to be honest. I really should've been at home in Illinois. At least I'd know if my parents were okay, even if we don't speak to each other..."

"Wait, you were here with your boyfriend?" Nick asked her, his eyebrow raised, "Then how come we found you on your own in the hotel?"

"Um... The evac was just so packed... I guess I must've been caught up in the crowds of people. Anyway, I got knocked out... It was just hectic and I imagine that someone did it accidentally. The whole place was in complete chaos and panic." Julia explained nervously, "I woke up alone with all my stuff gone and just a zombie for company. Kevin must've had our bags when we got separated."

Nick and Rochelle looked at each other, both of them once again seemingly suspicious about what Julia was telling them. The very idea that her boyfriend wouldn't have gone back to at least look for her seemed bizarre. What kind of boyfriend would just get on an evacuation chopper and leave his injured girlfriend behind? And why the hell would she even come out to Georgia if she didn't want to?

"Do you miss him?" Ellis asked gently, putting down his now empty food container, "Kevin, I mean?"

Julia stilled. No, she didn't miss him. She didn't miss being hit and being yelled at for something she didn't do. She didn't miss being ordered about or being blamed for the fact that he was putting his hands on her. But, at the same time, she did miss the side of him that was sweet and loving because, believe it or not, that did exist. There were times when he'd really given her hope that he was going to change, and there were times when he held her or kissed her so gently that you'd never believe in a million years that he could lay a hand on her. Tears of guilt started to prick at her eyes, and she hurriedly wiped them away, determined not to cry again.

"I guess so." Julia said softly, "I-I haven't really had time to miss him. I've been too busy trying to stay alive, y'know?"

Ellis nodded in understanding, offering her what he hoped was a reassuring pat on the back. Coach decided at that point that he would take the first watch and that the others should try and get some rest. Nick gave Ellis a rather nasty warning about not talking his head off all night, while the girls headed off to their room to try and get some sleep. Once inside, they closed the door, placed their lamp on a dresser in the far corner and got onto their beds. Their weapons were, of course, close by. Rochelle's machete sat by her bed in case of emergency, and their pistols sat on the bedside tables next to them, well within reach if necessary.

"I'm not even gonna dare to get under these covers." Rochelle murmured, "I've always had this thing about motels... Once I stayed in one with a friend when we were taking a weekend road trip and we pulled back the sheets to find a cockroach crawling around in there."

She shuddered with disgust.

"I haven't willingly stayed in a motel since."

Julia looked almost sick in the dim light of the room, but she masked it with a disgusted laugh, almost to protect herself from the horrific image of a cockroach crawling around under the bedsheets. Her imagination was stupidly vivid sometimes and she _hated_ that. Rochelle watched her for a moment, taking in the self-conscious manner in which she climbed onto the bed, and she felt this need to keep her talking. She didn't know if Nick intimidated the hell out of Julia, if she found it hard to fit in, if she just had a fear of people in general or if she just needed coaxing into talking. Either way, Rochelle had a feeling that their little group would be together for a while, so she wanted to make sure that Julia knew she was a part of that.

"So, what about you? Are you a motel or a hotel girl?"

"Oh, I've never stayed in a motel before... My parents always made sure we stayed in nice hotels and the few of trips I've taken with Kevin have all involved us staying in hotels. Cheap hotels, but hotels all the same." Julia explained, "My parents used to insist on staying in expensive hotels. It was a status thing."

Rochelle considered that for a brief moment and then remembered what Julia had said about the fact that she and her parents didn't talk anymore. That was just plain sad. None of them knew what had happened to their families, and Rochelle worried so much about her parents, but at least she was safe in the knowledge that she was loved by them, and that they knew they were loved by her.

"Julia... I hope you don't mind my asking..." The darker-skinned woman said softly, "But... How come you and your parents don't talk?"

"Oh... Um... It's my fault." Julia explained, trying to get comfortable on her bed, "They saved for years so that I could go to college, and I dropped out after a year. I just couldn't handle it. I wasn't smart enough really. They told me I was a disappointment and they disowned me, basically. Cut all ties with me and left me with nothing but the clothes on my back."

Rochelle blinked at her in surprise.

"Wait... So, your parents don't speak to you because you made a life choice that they didn't agree with?" She asked, "You knew that college wasn't right for you, so you gave it up... And they _disowned_ you for that?"

Julia hummed in agreement, turning away from the older woman to try and get more comfortable. Damn, that mattress was lumpy...

"Wow..." Rochelle murmured, her tone sympathetic and even a little sad, "I'm sorry. That's so harsh..."

"Well... It is what it is." Julia said, clearing her throat, "I don't have to deal with them pressuring me anymore, so I guess that's a bonus."

Rochelle hummed in agreement as Julia had a few seconds before. Rolling onto her back, she muttered a soft ' _goodnight_ ' to the younger woman, who returned the sentiment before both girls tried to settle down and get some rest. In the other room, Coach was sitting on the couch near the entrance of the safe room, Nick was on the bed closest to the bathroom door, and Ellis was on the next bed, his hat tilted over his eyes. Nick was clearly not comfortable, considering how much he was rolling around trying to get into a comfortable position.

"Why not take that suit jacket off, Nick? Might be more comfortable." Ellis suggested from under his hat.

"It's already off." Nick muttered, running a hand over his face, "Besides, it's this bed that's the issue."

He rolled onto his back, looking across at Ellis who was laying with his arm behind his head and the other on his stomach. How he could be so comfortable on beds as shitty as these, Nick didn't know. Ellis, on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder how Nick was finding it so hard to get comfortable. The guy had to have stayed in a lot of motels in his conning and gambling days, and Ellis was sure he'd have stayed in his fair share of uncomfortable ones.

"Well, I'da thought you'd be used to bad beds since you travel around so much." Ellis commented, settling back into his pillow, "It ain't that terrible."

"Overalls, most of the nights I've spent in motels and hotels weren't spent sleeping, and some of 'em weren't even spent in bed." Nick murmured with a smirk, "If you know what I mean."

"Alright, you two." Coach said softly, "The girls are only in the next room and they don't need or wanna hear that kinda talk."

"Oh, please..." Nick muttered, rolling his eyes again as he tried once more to get comfortable.

Coach leant back against the couch, the dim light of the lamp casting a warm glow on his face. He was determined that when they moved out the next day, they could make the drive to New Orleans in one trip if they changed shifts. Yeah, they'd stop for bathroom breaks and to give whoever was in the back seats a chance to walk around and stretch their legs, but it'd be worth it to get to New Orleans in enough time to finally be rescued.

* * *

The early morning sky was glowing with the beginnings of sunrise as Julia finally made the decision to get up and prepare for the day ahead.

After very little sleep thanks to nightmares and fitful dreams, she gave up on trying to get any rest, and instead went through to see if she could take over on watch so whoever was currently up could get some extra sleep. She gathered her things together quietly, arming herself ready for the day's journey, and she carefully listened with her ear against the door of the bathroom to make sure it wasn't being used before she crossed it to get to the boys' room.

She headed in there quietly to find Ellis curled up in a ball, sleeping like a baby with a rather adorable expression on his face. Coach was snoring so loudly that it was a wonder Ellis was sleeping at all, and on the couch was Nick, sprawled out lazily, absently unloading and reloading his Magnum. Julia's heart sank. She would rather it had been Ellis or Coach who was awake because she found it so hard to talk to Nick. He made very little effort to talk to her and he clearly hated long conversations.

"Morning." He said quietly, smirking at her awkward posture, "You wanna sit here?"

"Oh, I'm fine thanks." She murmured as he started to sit up, stepping carefully into the room, "Don't trouble yourself..."

She slipped past him nervously, placing her M16 against the far wall as she carefully eased herself onto the floor, grabbing a bottle of water from the pack that was close to the exit of the safe house. She shook it in Nick's direction, silently asking if he wanted one. He held his hand out to her so she threw him the one in her hand and reached for another. He caught it, gave her a very quiet ' _Thanks_ ' and then they both opened their bottles and took a long drink.

"You're up early." He commented quietly, his voice deep and gruff.

"Yeah." Julia answered softly, "Couldn't sleep."

"Huh..." Nick huffed, "These beds are pretty shitty. I couldn't sleep either."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Julia murmured sympathetically, clearing her throat as they fell back into awkward silence again.

She could barely bring herself to look at the thirty-five-year-old. He intimidated her so much, and, while she was sure it wasn't intentional, part of her couldn't help but think he wanted her to be afraid of him. She hoped she was wrong, and maybe, once she got to know Nick better, she'd be proven wrong. Nick, on the other hand, could sense that she was scared of him. She was right to be wary, and right to not be trusting of him. He wasn't a trustworthy person. However, he did recognise the fact that in order to survive, they'd all have to learn to trust one another.

"Oh, my God..." Ellis groaned from the bed he was sleeping on, bringing both Nick and Julia out of their thoughts, "What time is it?"

"Sun's just starting to come up." Nick chuckled, "Sleep well, Overalls?"

"It wasn't the best night's sleep I ever had, but it wasn't too bad." Ellis said in a sleepy voice, rolling over slightly to see Julia smiling at him from her place against the wall, "Hey... Mornin', Jules. You're up early."

He sat up slowly, taking off his cap and running his fingers through the curls at the back of his head. Julia looked very tired, he noticed, like she hadn't had much sleep. Her lovely brown eyes were resting in the middle of two dark circles which told Ellis just how tired she was. She was paler than usual and her body seemed to sag even though she was sitting down, which again indicated to him how little sleep she'd probably had.

"I couldn't sleep." She said, feeling much more confident when speaking to Ellis than Nick, "Neither could Nick."

"Yeah, you were complainin' about that bed last night." Ellis said to Nick, sitting up slowly to stretch his body out, "You wanna try and get a little more sleep, Jules?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Julia answered with a smile, "You want some water?"

"Sure, thanks." Ellis said, catching the bottle that she threw gently towards him, "You wanna come sit up here? Better than being on the floor. Hey, Nick, how come you didn't offer her a seat?"

"I did." Nick said, giving Julia a look that made her feel very uncomfortable as she got to her feet, "She didn't wanna sit with me."

"Well, she was stuck in the back of the car with you for a while yesterday, Nick. It's hardly surprisin' that she don't wanna sit with you." Ellis laughed quietly, smiling as Julia took a seat next to him.

"Are you two arguing already?"

This time, Rochelle was heading through the door, her eyes landing on Coach, who was now on his back, snoring louder than ever. Slipping past him somewhat nervously, trying not to wake him, she headed past the others, grabbed herself some water, and then moved across to where Nick was sitting before giving his legs a somewhat hard-looking whack.

"Move." She told him, causing him to roll his eyes and sit up properly for Rochelle to sit down.

Julia stared with wide eyes. She'd been horrified for a moment, thinking that Nick would get in Rochelle's face about her swatting at his leg like that, but when she saw he didn't, she found herself admiring the older woman's strong attitude. She was so envious that she didn't have the courage to have that same ' _no bullshit_ ' attitude and part of her felt incredibly sad that she'd never been able to be that brave.

"Did we all have trouble sleeping or was it just me?" Rochelle asked, taking a drink of water.

"Nah, we've all had a hard time gettin' any rest, apart from Coach." Ellis said quietly, pointing to the oldest member of their group who was still snoring contentedly.

The other four survivors talked amongst themselves quietly as Coach continued to sleep, discussing their plans for the journey that day. Nick announced that he was driving, and Rochelle quickly decided to bag shotgun, meaning that Julia would be once again in the back of the car, this time, between Coach and Ellis. Ellis offered to sit in the middle so that Julia didn't feel uncomfortable being cramped up between two men, which she agreed to, thanking him with a grateful smile.

Coach finally awoke an hour later, and after a very quick breakfast of more pasta and vegetables, which didn't sit well with any of them, they headed out and packed up the car ready for the day's journey. Rochelle kept the water and some more of the gross pasta meals in the front with her, while Coach, Ellis and Julia attempted to get comfortable in the back of the car. Nick's style of driving was very different to Ellis' in the sense that he didn't feel the necessity to rag the car around like he was participating in a race. He drove it like he wanted to enjoy the journey, and even though there were a few times when he did drive at some considerable speed, there were others where he travelled leisurely, as though they had all the time in the world.

Eventually, Coach's old knee injury was causing him grief, so after taking some pain pills, Nick pulled the car over to the side of the road to allow Coach to get out and stretch his legs. Julia and Ellis both took the opportunity to stretch their legs too, and as they walked a little way from the car, talking in what looked like a rather animated fashion, Nick found himself watching what they were doing while he took the opportunity to have a drink of water. Scotch would've been preferable, he figured, but beggars couldn't be choosers. He watched as Ellis and Julia stopped walking, and for a brief moment, he saw the redhead let out a very sweet, and, dare he say it, a rather beautiful smile as she shyly brushed her hair behind her ear, her slender fingers curling elegantly as she did so. Wow... It was so subtle, but wow...

"Huh..." He huffed to himself, feeling a horrible, sickening clenching in his stomach, "Well, I'll be damned..."

"What is it, boy?" Coach asked as he headed back to the car.

"Nothing." Nick said with a laugh, trying to cover his panic at the sudden twisting he'd felt inside his gut, "Just watching the two lovebirds over there."

"Oh, come on, man." Coach laughed incredulously, "They've known each other for twenty-four hours at best, and she's already spoken for. Doesn't seem the type to be unfaithful to me."

"Well, she's not exactly missing her boyfriend, is she." Nick stated with a smirk, "There's no begging for us to go find him, no constant worrying about where he is... No. If you ask me, she's got her sights set on someone else."

Coach looked towards Ellis and Julia, who were now coming back. Julia was smiling quite brightly, her face red from whatever she'd been laughing at, and Ellis was looking at her with a very sweet and very bright smile of his own. Coach, however, didn't believe what Nick was saying. Ellis might have taken a liking to their youngest team member, but Julia certainly didn't seem like the kind of girl would so easily jump from one man to another, and she seemed so shy that Coach thought it obvious that she was just trying to be friendly rather than anything else.

"Come on, y'all!" Coach called to them, "Let's get movin'!"

Ellis and Julia broke into a jog, climbing into the car again once Coach was settled in his seat before patiently waiting for Nick to set off driving again. Nick couldn't stop himself from casting a look in the rearview mirror, just catching a brief glance of the redhead who was now settled in her seat, her head bowed and her pale fingers fidgeting with themselves in that shy manner that she seemed to always have.

With an internal sigh and a roll of his eyes, wondering how this situation could get any worse, he focused on the road and continued to drive them to their chosen destination.

* * *

Oh... How wrong Nick had been about it not being able to get any worse...

It was now raining, and they'd come to a complete stop because there was a stupid bridge that was raised, preventing them from progressing any further, and the people who just happened to be on the bridge at that time were being so far from helpful that it was beyond unreal. Nick was itching to shoot the biker that they were currently talking to, while he and Rochelle were busy making cow eyes at each other. Beside said biker stood a young girl who couldn't have been older than eighteen or nineteen, and who Ellis was practically drooling over. Nick couldn't help but chuckle internally at the sight of that.

' _Poor Raggedy-Anne_.' He thought to himself with amusement, looking over his shoulder at Julia to find her leaning against the car, clearly not _with_ the situation in any way shape or form.

She literally wasn't in the present at that time and was in deep thought about something else. And Julia, indeed, was in thought about something else. She was trying to think of anything else other what would happen when they (if they) got to New Orleans. She kept having this frightening thought that she'd somehow be reunited with her boyfriend and after being free from him for as little as twenty-four hours, she couldn't stand the thought of going back to him. She couldn't. _Oh, God_...

"Oh, man... That was the prettiest girl I've _ever_ seen!" Ellis was exclaiming excitedly as he approached the car, "Did ya see her, Jules? Oh, my _God_..."

"I didn't see her... Sorry." Julia said, clearing her throat as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder, "So, um... What's the plan?"

Ellis' face fell at Julia's seemingly cold manner, but no-one had time to reflect on that as Coach stepped in to explain that they were going to look for an ' _Under The River Tour_ ' to try and find their way to the other side of the bridge, where they would have to then refuel one of the generators to be able to lower the bridge and escape. As they set off walking, Ellis stayed alongside Julia, who didn't seem to be quite as on edge as she was a couple of minutes earlier. Nick, observing the interaction between Julia and Ellis, found it rather amusing that she'd been so cold with him.

"Okay, people, let's not dilly-dally." Coach said as he hopped down into the park below them, "We got another long walk ahead of us."

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! We're back with chapter seven, and chapter seventeen is in progress. I'm pleased to say that I'm able to keep up with the ten chapter gap so I'm not going to catch myself up (I hope) at any point soon.

 **WATERDOG139:** Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one just as much!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Seven -**

In Ellis' opinion, Zoey was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

When he'd seen her on that bridge for the first time, his heart had been _lost_ to her. God, she was _angelic_ to him. He couldn't wait to get to the other side of the bridge to meet her again, and everyone else knew that he couldn't wait because he just couldn't stop talking about her. The problem that Julia had with listening to this wasn't what Nick was suspecting, which was that she was into Ellis. That wasn't the case at all. She was hurting because of what Ellis was saying about Zoey. It made her think about the things Kevin used to say to her in those first few months when he was sweet and gentle... Before he turned violent.

Thankfully, the rain that was pouring down on them hid the fact that her eyes were tearful. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and blinked them away, cursing herself for being so childish. She had to get a hold of herself and stop letting herself get upset like this. It was going to cause trouble, especially if someone got hurt or killed because she was so busy wallowing in self-pity. She raised her head defiantly, not even bothering to put up her hood as she then moved to walk alongside Coach, who was watching out carefully for anything that could be coming to attack them through the rain.

"You doin' okay, Jules?" He asked her, casting a brief look her way.

"Yeah, thanks. How's the knee?" She replied with a smile.

"Better. Been cramped up in that car ain't much fun." Coach said, looking over his shoulder to see Ellis walking backwards, "Boy, get your ass focused on the job at hand! That girl can wait!"

Ellis turned around with a sheepish smile on his face, chuckling to himself. Julia smiled warmly at him, unable to believe how sweet he looked while he was clearly trying to shake himself out of thoughts of the young woman back at the bridge. It must've been so nice that in all this horror, he'd managed to find a sliver of happiness, even if it could only last for a short time.

A sudden coughing and hacking came from ahead, only just audible over the sound of the falling rain, and in the dim light, there was a small cloud of green smoke that moved slowly to the right. Julia patted Coach's arm and pointed, alerting him to it. He turned to the others, informing them that they needed to look out for a Smoker ahead and to their right before he and Julia started to move forward, their eyes desperately scanning the area in front of them for any sighting of the creature.

Walking up some steps towards a parking lot, they could hear the coughing growing closer, and they both caught sight of the Smoker in question climbing into the window of the upper floor of the store in front of them. They immediately started to open fire on it, but it got into the store before they could kill it, leaving both Julia and Coach with a feeling of dread. They'd both noticed that the way to their left was blocked, so they were forced to enter the building where the Smoker was now hiding to try and find a way out onto the other side of the truck that was blocking their path.

"There's a Smoker in this store." Coach told the others, pointing towards the building in question, "It just climbed in through that window up there, and we gotta go through the damn buildin' to see if we can get around this damn blockade. So, keep your eyes open."

"Great..." Nick said, nodding with an expression of resignation on his face, "Like tonight can't get any..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, a long, slimy tongue wrapped around his midsection and he was quickly being dragged away from the others, panicking at the sudden movement. The Smoker had returned to the window and spied Nick as its target before snaring him without so much as a sound that could've alerted the others to its presence. Nick was soon dangling above the floor, writhing and kicking to try and somehow work his way out of the horrid appendage while screaming for the others to shoot the tongue so he could be released.

Before the others even had a chance to aim, the sound of gunfire from the front of their group caused the Smoker to let out a wheeze of pain and it collapsed backwards, its tongue separating from its body which then sent Nick falling to the floor. He landed on his feet and hands, quickly bringing himself up off the wet ground as though the very thought of his suit potentially getting any dirtier had been enough to stop him actually falling flat on his face.

His eyes quickly shot over to the others to see who had fired the shot, and he was astounded to see Julia still aimed at the window, her rifle smoking with the beam of her laser aimed right where the Smoker had been standing. Her face was stony with concentration, her red hair becoming somewhat frizzier with the rain and her deep brown eyes fixed on the spot where their enemy had just been.

"Damn..." Coach murmured, looking at Julia in shock.

Only when she heard his voice did she lower her weapon, and her dark eyes slowly moved to Nick, who was still staring at her in surprise. She made the move to walk towards him and she picked up the sniper rifle that had fallen from his hands along the way before handing it to him. He carefully took it from her, looking her over again in both shock and disbelief at how quickly she'd been able to kill that Smoker.

"Thanks." He murmured, earning a small but very pretty smile from her in return.

"Anytime." She said quietly, "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Nick nodded, looking from her to his gun and back again, "I'm fine."

She gingerly reached out, almost as though she was afraid to, and patted him on the arm. Even though the interaction was somewhat awkward, it was almost as though she felt better for doing it, which made the whole thing even more confusing. Nick arched an eyebrow at her as she walked past into the store ahead, his eyes trailing down her frame towards her denim-clad backside.

Slapping himself mentally, Nick lifted his gaze back up to the store where Julia was currently scouring the shelves looking for anything useful, and he followed her inside with everyone else in tow.

"Girl's a damn good shot." Ellis was saying softly, "We didn't even get a chance to aim at that Smoker."

"I just reacted on instinct." Julia said quietly, bending down to look at the bottom of the shelving unit she was standing in front of, "Oh... That'll come in handy..."

She stood back up as Nick walked past her to see what was behind the door at the back of the store, and she waved the Molotov she'd just picked up from the shelf at the others before slipping it into her hoodie pocket. The sudden sound of neighing caught everyone's attention, and they quickly edged towards Nick, who had his gun trained on the door in front of him, his eyes locked on the damn thing as though it was going to break open at any moment.

Julia looked over her shoulder and beckoned the others forward, stepping closer to Nick who actually moved to one side for her, allowing her some space next to him in the small corridor. She also raised her weapon, looking briefly to one side at Nick, who was still looking dead ahead. She studied him for a moment, taking in his strong, stubbled jaw, his slicked back, dark brown hair and those steely grey-green eyes, and she couldn't help but feel that intimidation again that she'd felt when she first met him. She was determined to get past this stupid fear she had of the men around her who were trying to protect her, so she forced herself to stay put, even with the discomfort of him being in her personal space.

"You hear it?" Nick asked as the neighing came again, followed by maniacal laughter, "It's definitely upstairs."

"Then, let's take it slow..." Coach said quietly from the back of the group, "You two lead."

Julia waited for a second as Nick set off walking first, and she found herself unable to aim very well since the former conman was walking partially in her line of fire. Reaching the door, he pushed it open slowly to reveal a set of stairs, which he carefully started to climb, his eyes drifting towards the source of the laughing. The Jockey came barrelling into sight from a room to the right of the corridor he was approaching, and without hesitation, he opened fire at it, killing it with a couple of rounds from his sniper rifle. He approached the corpse, his face twisted with disgust, and kicked it, snarling down at it.

"Try and hump one of us, you gnarly little bastard."

He stepped over the corpse and started to check the room that the Jockey had been hiding in while Julia got her first chance to actually look at a Jockey up close. She stared down at the clownish face and the malformed body in horror, feeling an instant swirling of nausea in her stomach. She stepped over it and right into Nick, who was returning from his search of the room he'd disappeared into. She let out an embarrassed laugh, biting her lip nervously as she slipped past him.

"We all okay up here?" Rochelle asked, her eyebrow arched mischievously.

"We're fine." Nick said, glaring in her direction.

Rochelle bit back a smile as the conman turned and followed Julia further up the corridor before finally setting off to follow them. Ellis and Coach were at the back, wondering what the hell had caused the delay in front. Rochelle thought it was quite amusing to see Nick interacting with the awkward redhead, especially since she'd caught him staring at Julia's ass outside the store. But then, she remembered that Julia was actually a shy, nervous individual who was very sweet and unassuming, and who was spoken for, while Nick was a cunning, devious, rude, disrespectful asshole who could easily persuade a girl like Julia into doing anything. Her feelings about the interactions between the youngest and second eldest members of the group suddenly became rather negative.

Julia and Nick were now entering the next part of the building, passing through a deserted bar and towards the exit at the end of the room, where, hopefully, they would emerge behind the truck that had been blocking their path out on the street. Checking a closet to the right of them, just next to the door, Julia found a locker of all things situated on the floor in the darkness of the room. She approached it carefully and opened it up, finding nothing but a solitary pipe bomb inside.

"Damn..." She muttered, lifting it out of the box, "Okay... Who wants this?"

As the group poked their heads into the room, their eyes lit up at the sight of the pipe bomb, and Ellis was the first to stick his hand out for it. After making Ellis promise to be careful with it, Julia handed it to him, watching him slot it between the sleeves of his overalls which were tied around his waist. The sound of gunfire caught their attention, and they headed out of the building to try and find where Nick had wandered off to.

"He really shouldn't wander off on his own." Julia said quietly, "If something gets him again we might not be close enough to help."

"He'll do what he pleases. The man's stubborn." Coach commented, "Let's see where he's gotten to."

They took a right out of the building and followed the path ahead, spotting Nick amidst the rain, shooting at the few infected who were out there. Julia concluded that the man must be just blowing off some steam after the encounter with the Smoker and the Jockey, and so, she went to go and give him a no doubt unwanted and unneeded helping hand. The light rain peppered the group's faces and skin with tiny droplets, and as their clothing and hair (in everyone's case except Coach's) got wetter and wetter, they knew they needed to find an indoor space sooner rather than later so that they could at least wait for the rain to pass before moving on.

"Great." Nick muttered, looking up as the rain seemed to get heavier, "I really wanted to have my three-thousand-dollar suit ruined today."

"Yeah, I figured you were wearing something expensive." Julia replied sympathetically, "It's such a shame too because that is some good material."

Nick grimaced at her for a moment before breaking out into what could only be described as a nervous smile.

"You know your fabrics, huh?"

Julia gave him a rather incredulous look which took the conman back a bit. He hadn't expected a look like that to come from her, and he hadn't expected to know what she was talking about when it came to his suit.

"Please. My dad lived and breathed suits." She said with a small laugh, "He always had to have the best fabrics and the most expensive three-piece suits. There always had to be a waistcoat in there. I never understood the attraction..."

She then looked over her shoulder at the others, who were catching up with them. They decided to move further ahead to see what they could find. Passing between vehicles, they came across the end of the alley they were walking up and found it to be blocked, so they turned and headed up the ramp to their left, being careful not to walk into the alarmed vehicle that sat parked in the middle of their path. The rain seemed to pick up all of a sudden, and with the howling of the wind, it pelleted their faces, causing them to shield themselves as best they could from the now horrid weather.

"Let's check out these apartments!" Coach yelled over the wind, "Quick! Get inside!"

The apartments, which were just being built, had no glass windows, but they at least provided some shelter from the sudden raging wind and the harsh rain that was pounding against them as they sprinted for the open door across a walkway to their left. Coach held the door open for the others, closing it as Ellis came in last before announcing that he was going to head to the next room and close that door as well. Huddled together, now cold and wet, and in Julia's case, shivering, the group caught their breath and waited patiently for Coach's return.

"Wow. What a shithole." Nick murmured, looking around at the building distastefully.

"It's not finished yet." Ellis protested, feeling a chill run down his spine as cold rainwater ran down his arms, "I love rain. One time, me and my buddy, Keith..."

"Not now, sweetie." Rochelle said softly, rubbing his shoulder in a motherly fashion, "We have to keep going. I know you'd hate to keep Zoey waiting."

"Oh, Zoey... That girl... I'm gonna marry that girl, Ro. Take her cross country in Jimmy Gibbs Jr's car. We can have all kinds of adventures together." Ellis said excitedly, blushing at the same time as he thought about the young brunette on the bridge, "I hope she's okay in this rain."

"Let's check out upstairs." Coach's voice caught everyone's attention, and they obediently followed him towards the stairwell to the right of the area they were standing in.

Julia was at the back of the line behind Ellis, her eyes kept on the steps that she was climbing up. It must be so nice to be so appreciated by someone. Ellis barely knew Zoey but he spoke of her like he worshipped the very ground she walked on. Zoey had no idea how lucky she was to have someone talk speak about her like that, even if it was a little odd that Ellis was doing so when he'd only known her for a few minutes. At the top of the stairs, she heard a gurgle. A very unpleasant gurgle, actually, like someone who was trying not to vomit. She wondered if one of her comrades was sick, but when she found them all staring ahead at the door that was on the other side of the space ahead, she realised it wasn't one of them making the sound.

"What _is_ that?" She asked, aiming her weapon at the door as the others did.

"Boomer." Rochelle whispered, "Where is it?"

The sound seemed to travel beneath them, and before long, the burps, groans and gurgles were coming from behind them. Up the stairs. They moved out of the way, towards the room to the right of where they were now facing, which was the staircase. A rather... _large_ zombie could be seen waddling its way up the stairs, its growth covered belly protruding quite significantly from its tight t-shirt.

"Get back..." Rochelle muttered as everyone started to rapidly backtrack into the space that was now behind them.

Coach took a shot with his combat shotgun and the infected actually exploded right in front of their eyes. Julia was horrified. The lower half of the body was now on the floor, and the upper half was literally nowhere to be seen, but the innards of the Boomer were now splattered across the floor and up the balustrade, and some had even gotten on the wall that the stairs were next to.

"Gross, right?" Ellis muttered, taking in the way that Julia was staring in horror.

"Yeah." Julia replied, looking slightly spaced out, "Gross..."

"Hey, it's okay... Ya just can't let 'em get too close. Nick almost got puked on back at the hotel, and when I say it was close... Oh, man..." He laughed quite loudly, which earned him a terrifying glare from Nick, "I swear, if he'd been a half inch closer, he would'a been covered in puke."

"Well, next time we come across a Boomer, how about I throw you at it?" Nick asked darkly, "Then we'll see who's laughing."

"Alright, boys... Settle down." Rochelle said with a tone of irritation, "Let's keep searching these rooms."

Coach led Nick through the room they now stood in, while Ellis took the women across to the other room to their left, to just check for any supplies. Spotting a rather thin ledge leading to what she presumed was a bathroom, which stood next to a rather large hole in the floor that had a large drop to the storey beneath, Julia immediately began to cross it despite worried gasps and warnings from Rochelle.

' _God, don't let me fall..._ ' She thought, trying to use the wall beside her for support.

"Be careful." Rochelle called after her anxiously, turning to Ellis with a grimace.

Poking her head around the door, Julia caught sight of a shadow against the wall of the newly installed bathroom, confirming that her suspicions had been correct. She knew that there was an infected person in that bath, behind that clean, white, pristine shower curtain. A small groan came from behind the curtain and a hand started to emerge from behind it, pressing against the tiled wall where the shower head was secured. It looked and sounded very eerie and Julia knew all too well that if she'd been alone, she wouldn't have been brave enough to do what she was about to do.

Raising her Magnum, choosing instead to save her M16's ammo, she aimed carefully at where the shadow's head was, took a deep breath, and on the very edge of her exhale, she pulled the trigger. There was a sudden splattering sound followed by a thud. The body had fallen, and the threat was gone.

Now that the bathroom was safer to search, Julia looked through the cabinet under the sink, unable to find anything useful. What were the chances of finding anything useful in an unfinished apartment building anyway? She stepped back out to the ledge, spotting Ellis immediately as he waited at the end of the small ledge, his arm extended to her.

"Find anything?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing. Just an infected person." She replied, reaching out to take the hand he was holding out to her.

She would prefer some support on the way back across, rather than trying to manage what had been a slightly unnerving journey across that ledge on her own again. Their hands locked, and Ellis kept a very tight hold of her until she reached the other side. She knew she was safe in his hands and that was good enough for her, so when she got to safety, she offered him a warm smile, which he responded to by reassuringly patting her on the back as he let her hand go.

"Thanks." She said sweetly, looking up as Nick and Coach returned.

"We'll go out this way." Coach said, indicating the door ahead of them, "The rain's died down a little now."

The group made their way out into the now much slower rainfall, and they were met with the soft wailing sobs of a Witch that seemed to be gliding along the gusts of wind that were steadily hitting them from the front. A shared look of dismay passed between the five survivors and no-one said a word to each other. They all switched off the flashlights on their weapons and readied them, not knowing if they were going to need to take out the Witch to get past her or if they'd be able to slip by her quietly.

"Take it slow..." Rochelle said quietly, "Let's keep going."

They set off slowly, crossing a rather unsafe walkway to what looked like a park. There were still vehicles scattered all over the place, including a large bus which blocked any way of getting around the park where this Witch was no doubt hiding. Through the pouring rain, the figures of several rather well dressed infected could be seen stumbling around, and as the group entered the park, they came across the source of the crying.

In the middle of the park was what clearly had been a seating arrangement for a wedding. At the area where the altar would've been sat the Witch causing the crying, her veil flowing in the wind and her dress folded around her knees. It was upsetting to think that what should be one of the happiest moments of a couples' life had been torn apart by the infection.

"Careful. I've seen a bride just like this before..." Nick said, earning looks of surprise from Rochelle and Julia.

"Oh, man... I hope we don't see a Tank in a tuxedo." Coach replied, "Hey... Anybody see a weddin' cake?"

"Oh, don't..." Julia murmured, her stomach growling, "I could just devour a slice of fruit cake covered in icing and marzipan... Oh, my _God_."

"Girl, now you're talkin' my language." Coach said with a grin, looking back at the Witch, who was still sobbing at the altar, "Now, how are we gonna deal with this?"

Julia reached for the Molotov in her pocket, slowly pulling it out and holding it in her hand. She looked to Nick and then Coach, who seemed to understand what she wanted them to do. Nick cautiously reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and handed her a lighter, which she accepted with a nervous smile. It felt so unusual in her hand, and it was something that she'd never used before.

"Ellis, Ro, you two wait back there. She's gonna chase me past you, so please, don't miss when you're shooting her, okay?" Julia asked shakily, "I'm gonna set her on fire and then haul ass."

"Don't worry." Nick said, raising his sniper rifle as Rochelle and Ellis moved back a few paces, "We've got you covered."

Lighting the Molotov with some difficulty due to the falling rain and her inexperience with the lighter, Julia took a deep breath, handed the lighter back to Nick and launched the grenade straight at the Witch before immediately retrieving her M16 and backing away. The fire immediately spread across the Witch's body, eliciting a high pitched scream of both anger and pain from her as she immediately starting running, almost clawing at her own face from what was clearly agony from the burning of the fire she was covered in.

"Here comes the bride!" Nick yelled, firing sniper rifle rounds at the oncoming Witch.

Everyone else started to open fire on her, including Julia, who was running backwards while shooting. Indeed, as predicted, the Witch followed Julia and thankfully, everyone else was ready for her. She fell dead between Rochelle and Ellis, who continued to shoot her to be certain that she was dead which left Julia with a feeling of relief and gratitude that everything had gone okay, and no-one had messed up.

However, the infected in the park had been disturbed by the Witch's screaming and were now bolting towards the five survivors, giving them yet another challenge to tackle before they could progress any further. Angrily, Nick and Coach started to open fire on the oncoming horde, while Julia, Ellis and Rochelle started to shoot at infected coming from the right of them, the left of them and the back of the park.

"We gotta get out of here!" Julia yelled, hearing the beeping of a pipe bomb as Ellis launched the one he'd been carrying quite literally out of the park.

The infected dashed after the beeping contraption, leaving the others free to break into a run out of there before it got any worse. Sprinting ahead of where they were currently standing, the group spotted some marquees that had been set up for the reception, and Coach couldn't resist slowing his pace to have a good look in both marquees to see if there was indeed any wedding cake.

"Coach, what the hell?!" Nick yelled shooting at infected approaching from behind the larger man, "Come on!"

Rochelle and Julia were shooting at infected that were now coming from the way ahead, but a glowing light caught the women's attention, giving them a feeling of hope that sanctuary, however temporary, might be just yards away. Nick stayed with both women while Ellis waited for Coach to catch up, and as they headed down towards the glowing light, the trio at the front shooting the infected that came sprinting at them.

"In there!" Nick pointed to the area where the glow was coming from which had a safe house mark on the floor, "Safehouse! Go!"

He ushered Rochelle and Julia in first, which surprised both of them considering thus far, he hadn't been particularly chivalrous, and then he actually waited outside the door for Ellis and Coach to catch up, providing as much cover as he could. He entered last, slamming the door shut and slotting its awaiting bar into place. The zombies caught up with them fast, hammering on the door as hard as they could to try and get in. Julia and Rochelle were already moving furniture that was blocking up their exit door, handing it off to Coach and Ellis who then handed bits and pieces to Nick so that he could barricade the door.

Once the door was secured, everyone let out huge sighs of relief and eased themselves onto various surfaces, whether it was the nearby tables or the floor, and tried to get their breath back before they would have to venture out once more.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading this so far!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hello, everyone! I'm back with chapter eight! I hope you're all enjoying this so far!

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Eight -**

Leaning her head back against the wall, her bag feeling heavier than it had before, Julia slid to the floor and stretched her legs out in front of her.

The rain seemed to be slowing outside, so the group decided to give it a little while to see if it would stop completely before heading back out. She was sitting next to Nick, who was also sat with one leg stretched out in front of him and one knee bent, his elbow resting on the bent knee and his head leant back against the wall.

"We all doin' alright?" Coach asked, earning tired nods from his fellow survivors, "Y'all did good out there. Keep that up and we'll be outta here in no time."

"Hey, if anyone sees any hand sanitiser, let me know, huh?" Nick said, studying his somewhat grimy hands.

"You're not scared of one little germ are ya, Nick?" Coach asked with amusement written all over his face.

"One germ just nearly wiped out the _entire_ human race, Coach, so yes!" Nick replied with an irritated look aimed at the older man, "A little more hand sanitiser and we wouldn't be in this mess."

"He's got a point." Julia said from her place on the floor, fiddling with her bag, "If it wasn't for one little germ, this wouldn't have happened."

"Yeah... But we wouldn't have met, right?" Ellis asked, his eyes bright and hopeful, "If it wasn't for that germ I'd never have laid my eyes on Zoey..."

Nick gave him a rather disgusted look but instead set his gaze on the young redhead next to him, who, to his amazement, pulled a bottle of hand sanitiser from her bag. He gave her a smile that made her think of a child on Christmas morning who'd opened their final present to find the gift of their dreams waiting for them. She smiled at him sweetly and gave him the bottle, revelling in the rather adorable expression of joy on his face.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked her, squirting some of the gel onto his hands before starting to rub it in, allowing her to take the bottle back.

"I grabbed some back at that mall. You never know when you might need it." She explained, resting tiredly against the wall as she put it back in her bag, "You feel better now?"

"Yeah. I really do." Nick laughed quietly, rubbing the last of the gel into his hands, "Thanks."

Coach was looking through the small window in the safe house door to see what the weather was doing, and much to his and the others' relief, the rain had finally come to a stop. Getting to their feet, they each adjusted their bags and prepared to head out into the streets again.

"Let's hurry, man. I miss my car." Ellis murmured, heading out of the door first.

Rolling his eyes, Coach followed suit, and then Rochelle, leaving Julia and Nick at the back. Nick couldn't help but smile at the fact that his hands, at the very least, felt somewhat clean. They headed up some steps and onto a small street, where thankfully, only a few zombies lingered. A bright red neon sight caught Ellis' attention, and at the sight of the word ' _Tattoos_ ', he let out a cry of delight and hurried towards it.

"Hey, Nick! You and me oughta get tattoos that say, ' _Bros_ '!"

Nick stopped in his tracks, looking horrified at the notion. Everyone else gave him small smiles of amusement and kept walking, leaving him to steadily join them in the tattoo parlour. Julia was admiring one display of designs with Ellis, while Coach and Rochelle were admiring the others.

"I got that one... And that one..." Coach was saying, pointing to various designs, "Hell, I got damn near most of these..."

"Where?" Rochelle asked warily.

"Shit, it's all South of the border."

Rochelle and Julia both shared horrified looks, and an involuntary shiver of disgust ran through the older woman's body at the mental images that her brain had just been filled with. She was busy praying for Coach's tattoos to be on his ankle, while Ellis was looking at the designs with Julia.

"You got any tattoos, Jules?" He asked her warmly.

Yes. Julia did have a tattoo. Not the conventional kind either. The smile retreated from her lips for a brief moment but she managed to catch it, bringing it back to her lips again. The thought of this particular marking on her skin wasn't pleasing and it was shameful to her, but she managed, somehow, to push all of that back into herself again.

"Sort of." She murmured, "Not the usual kind anyway."

"Oh, what kind?" Ellis asked her, looking a little unsure.

"Never mind." Julia said sweetly, offering him a pat on the arm that was supposed to be reassuring, "It's not important."

"Hey, Rochelle, do you want me to tattoo your boyfriend's name on your arm?" Nick spoke from the back of the room, "I'll just write ' _Greasy Pig_ '. We all know who we're talkin' about."

Rochelle looked both affronted and embarrassed. Her brief encounter with Francis, who was devilishly handsome and had a pretty impressive build, had led to a hint of teasing from Nick, who clearly thought she had the hots for him. Rochelle wouldn't lie, she kind of did. He was a big, strapping guy with a deep, strong voice and clearly, given the fact that he'd winked at her from his place on the bridge, a somewhat small attraction to her. Yeah. He was pretty hot.

"You know something, Nick? He was a hell of a lot nicer than you." Rochelle said darkly, "And he's better looking too."

"I beg to differ." Nick laughed, "Hey, Jules? Who's hotter? Me, or that greaseball biker back at the bridge?"

Julia looked up, alarmed. She didn't know how to answer that question and she certainly didn't want to. Thankfully, Rochelle came to her rescue, whether it was intentional or not. Julia was never comfortable discussing whether or not she found other men attractive. She wasn't even allowed to look at other men in any way shape or form when she was with Kevin. Looking at other men was what had earned her the ' _tattoo_ ' she had.

"Hey, don't bring her into this." Rochelle said with a glare, "We need to get moving."

"Come on, y'all." Coach said, passing Nick and stepping into the street, "Let's go."

Heading back into the street, the five survivors made their way across to an alleyway, spotting an open door leading into a building on their right. Coach led the way with Nick and Rochelle behind him, leaving Ellis to linger at the back with Julia, who still didn't seem right. Maybe he had asked her the wrong question or something. She seemed pretty upset about the tattoo thing, whatever that was. Now, she was looking solemn and she was getting that glazed look in her eyes again.

"Are you okay?" He asked her quietly, searching her brown eyes for any clue as to what was wrong with her.

"I'm fine, El." She said softly, smiling at him in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, "Thanks."

He knew not to push any further. For some reason, his instinct told him that no matter what his doubts were, he shouldn't push her any further. While the others may have thought him stupid, he knew that Julia certainly didn't and he, himself, knew that he wasn't. He could tell that she was a private person. He sensed it in the way that she kept to her own small area of space and in the way that she talked very little about herself. He also got the impression that she found Nick rather intimidating, but that seemed to be changing the longer that she spent time near him and in his company. At least Ellis was safe in the knowledge that the twenty-one-year-old liked to be around him. He guessed...

They passed through a back room and into a bar area, with two pool tables and an old jukebox by the far wall that Ellis was dying to try out. However, the others' focus wasn't on the jukebox. They were staring at a zombie with belts of ammo strapped to his chest, who was carrying, of all things, another first aid kit, a bile bomb, and a bottle of pain relief pills.

"Shoot that zombie!" Nick ordered, "He's got something!"

The guy was clearly infected and wasn't going to get any better. He just about had the consciousness to understand that they were going to try and kill him, and rather than go after them, he made a break for the window he was standing near. Julia couldn't bring herself to raise her gun. Nick, on the other hand, shot the zombie dead without any hesitation whatsoever. It made her shiver to think he could just coldly kill that person, who knew that he was about to get shot at. The conman didn't waste any time in looting the body either.

"Anyone need these pills?" He asked, holding up the bottle in his hand.

"Give them to Jules." Coach instructed, "As repayment for the hand sanitiser she wasted on your germ-fearin' ass."

Nick glared at the larger man but didn't take him up on it. Nick held some respect for Coach, given the fact that he was the voice of reason in the group and had it in him to keep everyone else calm. Julia hadn't had a meltdown in that mall because Coach had encouraged her and asked her to keep it together. Nick had heard the conversation go down during his search of the room they were standing next to at the time. He remembered how Coach had calmed Ellis down in the elevator, and he knew that to be the strong member of the team took a lot of effort. So, for once, Nick backed down. He strode across to Julia, pocketing the bile bomb, and handed her the pain pills.

"Thank you." She murmured, going to put them in her bag.

"You take the medkit, Coach." Nick said, his tone holding just a hint of forced civility.

"Thanks." Coach said, taking the first aid pack from Nick before slipping his bag off to put the kit inside.

It was a tight fit, but it went in eventually, and once his bag was zipped back up, Coach announced that he was ready to go. The group moved to the windows to see what was waiting ahead of them, and much to their dismay, it was a pool of muddy water and a far-from-stable construction site with a handful of zombies wandering around in the water.

"Oh, great. My suit's definitely gonna get ruined now." Nick muttered, leaning out of the window to see if he could spot another route over the water, "Oh... Maybe not. We might be able to use the window ledges to jump across."

"Jump? This ain't a video game, Nick. We can't jump across there!" Ellis protested, leaning out to look at the gap, "Not without scrapin' a few knees anyway."

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather scrape my knees than run through filthy water." Nick argued, earning a roll of the eyes from Coach.

"Well, fine. You go first and show us how it's done." He said with a sigh, watching Nick climb out of the window, "What is it with him and germs?"

"Some people don't like the thought of them." Julia said quietly, going to follow Nick before calling softly after the suited conman, "I'm covering you."

She knelt down, aiming her M16 at the few zombies wandering in the water below. She kept an eye on Nick, who took a running jump and actually landed quite gracefully on the next ledge, which surprised everyone who was watching. He then took another running jump and again landed perfectly well on the solidity of what was left of the concrete ahead of the others, holding his rifle up triumphantly.

"Someone join him before somethin' else grabs him." Coach muttered, moving to cover Julia as she took a deep breath and went to follow him.

Her feet pounded against the ground as she ran to the edge of the current space before she leapt across the gap, landing in a much less graceful fashion on the next ledge. The sound of her landing, staggering and subsequently crashing into a shuttered window next to her startled the zombies in the water, which thankfully, Coach and Nick took out between them.

"Come on, Jules!" Nick smirked at her, "You can make that jump! It's nothing!"

' _Yeah, nothing for you. You don't have a body full of bruises.'_ Julia thought, if a little bitterly, and she once again ran for the edge of the ledge she was on, leaping into the air with as much strength as she could.

She landed on the other side with Nick, who moved to catch her as she stumbled. She had a tight grip on one of his arms but she was quick to right herself with his help, and she gave a small, embarrassed laugh, returning her grip to her rifle. Coach came next, trying to be careful because of his knee injury. Nick had to quickly pull Julia out of the way so that he could steady Coach once he reached the other side. Rochelle came next, caught skilfully by Coach as she reached the other side, and then Ellis came last, almost slipping backwards when he got to the other side. He was, thankfully, saved by the girls, who rushed to grab the mechanic's now grubby hands and pull him onto the concrete with them.

They squeezed their way past a forklift and then headed towards a small staircase, leading into another bar. There wasn't any other way to go, and like their journey thus far, it seemed that they were destined to take a very complicated route to get to the ' _Under the River_ ' tour. Nick took the lead again with Julia and Rochelle behind him, and Ellis and Coach at the back. The bar was deserted apart from one lone zombie in what looked like biker gear, which Nick instantly killed, no doubt as a release for the strange disdain he had for Francis. It was an action that Rochelle didn't miss and an action that earned Nick a vicious glare from the twenty-nine-year-old, who was desperately trying to keep her cool and keep her mouth shut.

"Up these stairs." Nick said as he stopped at a doorway, "Jesus... How many obstacles are we gonna have to avoid?"

"God knows." Julia muttered, "It's getting pretty annoying though."

"Let's just keep goin'." Coach said from his place at the back of the group, "Positivity is the key."

"Positivity, my ass." Nick complained, rolling his eyes as he got to the top of the stairs, "Oh... Hold on..."

He aimed his flashlight into a room at the top of the stairs, highlighting a suitcase which had lots of money sitting in it, as well as another pistol. He grinned to himself, immediately going to approach it.

"I like the way this guy packs..." He murmured, "Do I have room in my bag for this cash or what?"

"What are you gonna use that cash for, exactly?" Rochelle asked him.

"Hell, money gets you anything you want if you've got enough of it." Nick said with a dark chuckle.

"It _used_ to." Rochelle said, tightening her grip angrily on her AK-47, "In case you haven't noticed, the world's ended."

She moved out of the way, barely able to contain her temper, which seemed unusual for Rochelle. The others figured it was probably some bitterness due to Nick's teasing about Francis that was the cause of the anger, but nobody took her up on it. Nick decided to leave the money since he figured it wasn't worth causing any more stupid tension between people, and he followed the others towards another set of stairs. Heading up said stairs, again they were only met with one lone infected, which Julia took out with her Magnum. They then came across a plank of wood to cross to get into the next building.

"Well... This'd be a bad time for a Smoker..." Ellis murmured, watching as Coach walked across the plank first.

"Jesus... It's not gonna take any of us if it's already had to deal with his weight." Nick murmured, earning a rather angry look from the girls, "What?"

"Come on." Rochelle said through gritted teeth, "Quit foolin' around."

Julia went next, keeping her eyes focused on Coach rather than looking at the distance between herself and the ground. Rochelle did the same, as did Ellis, and Nick followed on behind, keeping an eye out for any unwanted infected that might happen upon them. They continued to move through this next building, searching floor by floor to try and find any useful supplies, only to come across another couple of Molotovs and a bile jar, which someone had carelessly left rolling around on one of the flights of stairs.

The group then headed into the street below, looking for any indication as to where they should go next. A high pitched squeal caught their attention as they pressed forward, a trail of bright green acid illuminated against the murky sky as the Spitter in pursuit of them ran to the right of where Ellis and Rochelle were standing. As she emerged, the Spitter hacked all of the mutated stomach acid that she could into her throat but before she could spit it at the quintet, rounds from Rochelle's AK-47 hit her straight in the head and neck, sending her tumbling to the ground with a rather shocked cry.

"Damn!" Nick exclaimed, clearly impressed by the producer's speed, "Rochelle!"

Rochelle gave him a warm smile, quite obviously very pleased with not only herself but her ability to earn herself some praise from the most critical of their team. They waited for the Spitter's acid to dissolve away before even daring to proceed, and when the path was finally clear, Rochelle and Julia took the lead, with Rochelle determined to prove that she was more than capable of leading their group, even for a little while. Julia just followed. She'd never been a leader, and she knew she never could be, so she stuck to what she knew best.

"Into the pool hall." Rochelle said loudly, indicating the building ahead.

She and Julia walked in first, scanning the environment with their flashlights. Again, there was nothing useful, so they headed towards the well-lit hallway on the other side of the bar. At the sight of bathrooms, everyone took the opportunity to empty their bladders, considering that they'd all gone a while without doing so.

Everyone seemed to feel a bit better after their little bathroom break, and they proceeded to head down the stairs in front of them, leading to the entrance of the ' _Under The River_ ' tour. The look on Nick's face was priceless. Rochelle and Julia both moved to look at what they were walking into, their expressions ones of pure disbelief. It was literally an old basement that was being passed off as a historic attraction.

"Only in the south would this be considered a tourist attraction..." Rochelle said, shaking her head.

"Why is everything historic always so filthy?" Nick muttered, brushing his shoulder as a trail of dirt fell from the ceiling.

The five of them proceeded to walk on the wooden boards that had been laid out as a walkway, keeping their eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. A few groans and growls were coming from the way ahead, but Rochelle and Julia were ready for tackling whatever was in front. Rochelle had her machete at the ready, and Julia had her Magnum, but Ellis stepped forward with what was once Julia's crowbar and moved Julia closer to Coach and Nick. Sneaking up on zombies and saving ammo was a better idea than wasting it all when cracking a few heads could easily solve their problems.

In silence, the group followed the walkway into an even dirtier room, where two infected were wandering, one of them vomiting in the corner of the room. Ellis moved first, followed by Rochelle, and the two of them wasted no time in getting rid of the threat in the room. When the machete went through the skull of the vomiting infected, Julia had to turn away. The sound and the visual was enough to make her want to vomit too, and as she heard the slicing sound of the machete leaving the infected's skull, her throat filled with bile.

She leant against a nearby wall, bending forward and putting her head down, close to her knees. She took deep breaths, feeling a gentle hand press against her back which caused her to almost yelp in pain. It was Coach and he was only trying to be helpful, but he was putting his hand right on one of the more painful of her collection of bruises that she'd gathered across her torso over the past few weeks. She winced at the pain but kept taking deep breaths, hearing Nick's voice close by.

"I'll get myself out of the splatter zone. These shoes weren't cheap."

"Nick!" Rochelle hissed, placing her hand on Julia's side comfortingly, almost holding her in a motherly fashion, while Coach's hand remained on her shoulder, moving in soothing circles, "That's enough!"

"I'm fine, guys, really. I just need a second." Julia protested, lifting her head, "It was the sound, you know?"

"Well, the smell's even worse." Ellis complained, wrinkling his nose in a childlike manner, "Don't breathe through your nose when you pass those bodies."

"Yes, thank you, Ellis." Rochelle said sharply, easing Julia back into an upright position, "Take a couple more deep breaths, honey. Does anyone have any water?"

Nick pulled a bottle out of his sports bag, handing it to the producer who gave it to Julia. Taking a long drink out of it, Julia took a moment to regain her composure, and thankfully, after the drink, the colour returned to her face and she felt much better. She thanked Nick shyly for the water and wiped the neck with a clean part of her t-shirt before handing it back to the conman, who gave it a wipe of his own with a clean part of his suit jacket.

"We need to get going." Coach said softly, "Are you okay now, Jules?"

"Really, I'm fine. Thanks." Julia muttered, readying her Magnum again, "Let's go."

The rest of their walk was uneventful and very quiet, with only whispered pieces of conversation passed between Ellis and Julia. The second that they arrived at the top of a dark staircase, though, all conversation stopped. Nick shone his light down between the stairs, his expression one of deep concern.

"Perfect... Looks like something out of a horror movie."

"Like the staircase scene in _The Grudge_. You know... In the office building?" Julia suggested, hearing Ellis pipe up beside her.

"Oh, yeah! When the girl with the dark hair's crawlin' up the stairs and twitchin' and stuff!" He exclaimed breathily, seemingly afraid to make too much noise lest he draw unwanted attention, "That movie is scary as all hell, man! Me and my buddy..."

"Not now, sweetie." Rochelle muttered, "Let's take these stairs _very_ slowly. They don't look all that sturdy to me."

Julia, the smallest and no doubt, the lightest of the group, gingerly took a step onto the staircase first to test its sturdiness. It was a very brave thing to do on her part considering the drop if the whole collapsed, but she was prepared to. If it couldn't take her weight then they might have to look for another way. But, sure enough, it firmly held without any sign of creaking, groaning, swaying or anything of the kind.

"Let's go." She said quietly, "It seems fine."

They carefully headed down the stairs in a line, being sure to leave a gap between each person in case they were confronted with anything on the stairs that they needed to get a quick escape from. Soon enough, they were met with a mangled part of the staircase, where they stopped and all took a good look over the edge, Julia's light shining upon a pile of bodies that lay beneath the broken stairs.

"A sewer filled with bodies!" Nick's tone dripped with sarcasm, "This is sanitary!"

The five of them looked at the murky water below and then to each other, wondering which of them would be brave enough, or stupid enough, to jump in there first.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thank you for reading this so far!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! I noticed in the last chapter that I forgot to mention something quite important... The conversation that Julia and Ellis share regarding tattoos is important, and its something that will be raised again in later chapters. I hope you're all enjoying this so far. Thanks to everyone that's been reading this. It really does mean a lot. It would also mean a lot of I could get some feedback on this. I'm kind of wondering whether to continue the fic or not if I can't see whether you guys like it. Please, feel free to review.

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Nine -**

"Cannonball!"

The splash that sounded below let everyone know that Ellis, protected by his boots and overalls, had landed in the sewer water below. Rochelle, realising that there was no point in putting off this unpleasant task any longer, jumped in next, almost gagging when some of the water splashed on her neck and cheek. Coach followed after, shooting at a couple of infected that were wandering in the far, dark corners of the water they were stood in, while Julia and Nick remained above him and the others on the broken staircase. No matter how he tried to rationalise this in his head, Nick just couldn't bring himself to move. He really couldn't bear the thought of being in contact with this much filth.

"I don't wanna do this." He muttered.

"I know it's horrid... But we have to." Julia said anxiously, unable to reassure him as she'd like to, "I'm just as unhappy about this as you."

"Nick, come on! Just get it over with!" Rochelle called up to him, "We have to go!"

"Together?" Julia suggested, "On the count of three?"

"Okay." Nick answered, clearly needing to gear himself up for the drop, "You count."

Seeing Nick anxious seemed very unusual, and he clearly was very anxious about this. He was a very clean and germ conscious person; that much was already apparent to everyone else. So, Julia took it upon herself to try and just give him that little boost of courage he quite obviously needed. No-one liked the idea of walking through sewage, but for someone with what could potentially be a phobia, it would seem a hundred times worse than it really was. She took a deep breath, turning her gaze to him to let him know that she was about to start counting.

"One... Two..." Julia began, getting ready to jump, "Three!"

A big part of Julia had suspected that Nick would abandon her and let her jump alone, but he didn't. He jumped with her, and as they hit the water, a visible shudder ran through the thirty-five-year-old as he tried to adjust to the feeling of the disgusting water going into his shoes and soaking his socks and lower legs.

"It's just a storm sewer..." He told himself quietly, closing his eyes and breathing through his mouth deeply to try and calm himself down, "It's just a _storm_ sewer."

"Don't smell like one." Ellis murmured from his place ahead.

"Ellis, I need this!"

"Hey, Nick..." Coach said with amusement in his voice as they set off walking, "Wasn't that suit supposed to be white?"

As Rochelle, Ellis and Coach took some amusement out of Nick's anxiety about being in such an unhygienic place, Julia actually felt some sympathy for the conman. She didn't want to be in this water any more than Nick did. Her sneakers, feet, socks and the bottom of her jeans were soaked in God only knew what, and the thought made her feel just as sick as she'd felt back upstairs, so she could only imagine how he was feeling. It just seemed to be a massive joke to the others, who probably had no concept of how disgusting this actually was.

"Hey, Nick, what's new? Oh, not much, I couldn't drive Jimmy Gibbs' stock car over a bridge, so I'm crawling through a shit-filled sewer so I can lower it. You?"

The sound of Nick talking to himself snapped her out of her reverie, and she caught up with him as best she could, reaching into her bag to find the hand sanitiser that she knew he'd desperately want. It might just make things easier for him to get through this part of their journey.

"There's a ladder over there!" Rochelle exclaimed, her eyes bright as she pointed to the ladder in question, "We'll be out of this water in no time."

Once they'd climbed the ladder, Julia had finally found the sanitiser bottle, and before Nick could go anywhere, he felt Julia gingerly touch his arm, almost as though she was afraid to, and then she handed him the bottle. He held it with surprising strength, barely able to wait before opening it and pouring a good amount of the sanitiser onto his hands.

"Hey, don't waste it..." She spoke in a soft, almost motherly tone, placing the bottle in his pocket as he rubbed the gel into his skin again, "Keep it. You might need it again."

Nick looked at the dark-eyed redhead with a weak smile. The germ thing really was a problem for him. Germs and dirt were things that he'd _always_ had a problem with from being a young kid, and it was something that everybody he'd come across had made fun of him for. But not her. Not Julia. She'd tried to be understanding, and she'd tried to help him, and for that at least, he was very grateful.

"You're too good to me, sweetie." He said, his deep voice quiet and unusually reserved, "Thanks."

Her smile seemed to broaden, as though the positive response gave her confidence, and they finally got themselves moving towards the others, who had reached a gate which looked as though it would be activated by a button to the right of it. The only concern was whether or not the button would trigger any loud noises... Not that anyone had the chance to think about it. Ellis hit the button without waiting for anyone else's input, and a loud, obnoxious alarm started to ring out into the cavernous darkness ahead while the little gate ahead of them opened up.

"Oh, fuck..." Nick grimaced, looking at the cesspool ahead of them, "Back in the shit water!"

This time, not one person hesitated before jumping into the water below. Running as fast as they could through the water, which was soon becoming tiring, the group tried to find some way to get to higher ground as zombies started to pour in from behind them. Ellis and Nick were shooting at the back, while Coach and Julia were running at the front, their weapons blasting any infected that came sprinting at them out of the dark. All of a sudden, Julia caught a wonderful sight amidst the murky darkness that lay ahead which was their only salvation for that moment in time.

"I spy a ladder!" She yelled, moving as quickly as she could towards it. "Come on!"

She quickly shoved her M16 clumsily into her duffel before jumping up to grab onto the ladder, trying to heave herself up to the top as quickly as she could. The others quickly followed, with Nick left at the bottom, trying to keep the oncoming horde at bay while everyone else got to the top. Julia immediately got her gun back out again, as did the others, and covered Nick while he climbed up to join them.

"Keep going!" He yelled at them as he neared the top, "Go! Go! Go!"

Ellis and Julia were first to the next obstacle, which was yet another gate. Knowing that he had no option but to hit the button, Ellis did, unleashing another ringing alarm that only made the first alarm sound more obnoxious. Running ahead, leaving Coach and Rochelle to wait for Nick, Ellis and Julia tried to clear a path for the five of them while trying to find out where they had to go to get out of there.

The others caught up quickly, and at the realisation that they'd have to run back into the water, Nick groaned audibly from the back of the line. Coach yelled at everyone to get back into the water, and Julia stayed back to provide some cover, allowing Ellis to lead at the front with Coach and Rochelle in between. Nick and Julia were moving backwards, trying to shoot at any infected that were attacking from the back as the others hurried into a very dark tunnel ahead of them, which looked ominous and frightening since they couldn't yet see the end of it.

Up ahead, in the darkness of the tunnel, Ellis' flashlight caught sight of what must've been fifty plus infected sprinting through the water at remarkable speed, causing him to cry out in alarm before opening fire at them. Amongst the flashlights which were shimmering in the darkness, along with the beams of the group's laser sights and the falling bodies of the infected, a shadow could be seen crawling towards them from the now visible, well-lit end of the tunnel.

"We got a hunter!" Coach yelled, pointing towards the hooded monstrosity, "Someone shoot the damn thing!"

Nick seemed more determined than anyone else to kill it, probably because he didn't want to end up on his back in a tunnel of what he'd deemed to be ' _shit water_ ', and after successfully getting a shot in its head with his sniper rifle, he let out a celebratory yell, taking a second to revel in his victory.

"Take that, you mealy-mouthed bastard!"

"Damn, I'm impressed!" Coach exclaimed, "Come on, y'all! Keep runnin'!"

Shredding through the oncoming horde like there was no tomorrow, with the alarm still ringing in their ears, the five of them finally made it to the end of the tunnel. They were met with a ladder, which Ellis climbed up first, followed by Rochelle, Julia, Nick and then Coach. Hurrying up the narrow staircase that they found themselves at the bottom of as infected poured towards them out of the tunnel, Ellis and Rochelle called out to the others when they spied a safe room in the space above them.

"Everyone, in here!" Rochelle yelled, beckoning the remaining three members of their group into the safe room, "Come on!"

Coach got inside first and started to help Ellis prepare to barricade the door. Once Julia and Nick were safely in the room, Rochelle slammed the door shut and everyone else rushed to get it blocked off so that the infected couldn't get in. They hammered on the door, grunting, squealing, growling, screeching as fists pounded against the steel shield that separated them from their food.

Everyone desperately tried to catch their breath while trying to ignore the sounds from outside. They were all uncomfortable, a little cold, sick of the smell of the sewer and more than ready to be on their way. They were fairly sure that now, they were where they needed to be and they couldn't wait to get moving. The thing that everyone secretly wanted was to change their clothes, but there wasn't time for that. The sooner they could be on their way to New Orleans, the better.

"We all ready to move?" Coach asked, looking to the others as he straightened himself up from where he'd been bent forward catching his breath, "We all okay?"

With varying responses of, ' _Yeah, we're fine_ ', Coach moved towards the exit of the safe room. The five of them stumbled out into a thankfully quiet area, with the only sound being Ellis trying to calm himself down since they were about to come face to face with Zoey again. Rochelle looked a little excited at the prospect of seeing Francis again, and Nick couldn't help but make a little fun of her for that. Julia stayed at the back of the group, quiet, nervous, extremely tired and feeling sick at the thought of reaching an evacuation zone in New Orleans and having to come face to face with Kevin again, if he was still alive, of course.

On the bridge, which was ahead of them as predicted, stood Zoey, Francis and an African-American guy who was sitting between them, and who the group assumed was their injured man. Zoey looked rather young, yet it seemed that her experiences over her time during this whole apocalyptic mess had aged her somewhat. She seemed rather stern and cold, but the group remembered that she'd mentioned something about losing someone; perhaps a close friend or a relative. It was understandable that someone would appear cold after something like that.

Francis, who was a handsome biker and who towered over Zoey by some considerable height was a little more friendly, discussing the stock car with Ellis and beginning to get into conversations about his interest in bikes. There wasn't the time for that though, and the nine of them knew it. Rochelle really did seem to take a liking to him, which only seemed to amuse Nick even more than it had already.

Then there was Louis, who was wearing a shirt and tie combo which gave the impression that he was in some kind of management job or a job that involved office work. He was pleasant enough and very cheerful despite his injury, and apparently despite his own group's loss. There were expressions of condolence made by Rochelle and Julia on their group's behalf on account of their fallen friend.

After a moment more of talking, Coach invited the other group of three to join them on their journey to New Orleans, but they declined with Francis announcing that they'd had enough of the military. It was obvious by Rochelle's reaction to this declaration that she was a little disappointed. Ellis was also disappointed that he wouldn't get to know Zoey any better, but he was clearly determined to enjoy whatever time he had to admire her from afar.

Zoey directed them to an elevator nearby where they could head to ground level and then scavenge the area looking for fuel to fill up the generator with. Coach split them off into teams, with Rochelle and Ellis going with him to search the areas away from the generator and with Nick and Julia scouting the area nearby. They knew that the noise they were going to make, and their movements in the area were going to draw unwanted attention, so the three other survivors promised to cover them from above.

"Alright, look... No messin' around." Coach said as the elevator slowly descended, "Let's fill up this damn generator and get back to the car."

"You got it, Coach." Ellis said quietly, "Man, I hope Zoey gets to see me kill one of them Tanks..."

Nick rolled his eyes at that comment, as did Coach. Rochelle smiled politely, her mind clearly on other things, while Julia simply stood with her gun at the ready, trying to quell the feeling of anxiety and apprehension at the task that lay ahead. The thought of being alone with Nick was scary. She knew it wasn't the time to start overthinking or worrying but she couldn't help it. Despite the fact that they'd somewhat bonded over hand sanitiser of all things, and despite the fact that she'd forced herself to be near him, the thought of being alone with him when the situation was urgent and when it needed her full attention was rather harrowing for her. She didn't know what to do other than let him be in charge. She would do what he asked of her and it would be much easier that way. Sticking to what she knew was best play at that point, which was being obedient and quiet.

The elevator came to a stop, the shutter opened and the group headed out in different directions. Coach took his group through the warehouse that they were in, while Nick and Julia headed out of the door nearby, where they found the others waiting for them up on a balcony of a nearby bar. Louis gave the pair a wave, and Julia waved back, but as she did so, she happened to turn her head to the right.

And there, in a dimly lit room with a trail of blood leading up to him, was the friend that Francis, Louis and Zoey had lost. Bill. He'd given his life for them and now Nick, Coach, Ellis, Rochelle and Julia were responsible for undoing that work. It made the young redhead feel horrifically guilty. Nick, who noticed how quiet she'd gone, turned to see what had caught her eye. When he spied the dead body of Bill, dressed in his military clothing with his cap still on his head and his gun in his lap, he had a good idea as to why Julia was distressed.

"Don't look..." He said, taking her by the arm gently so as not to startle her, "Let's see what's down here."

She turned to look at him, her eyes glittering. It was one thing looking at a dead zombie, but a dead human who hadn't turned? That was clearly a lot harder for her to deal with. She wasn't fully with Nick at all, and he knew it. She was dealing with a lot of information that her brain was struggling to process. He remembered seeing his first dead body and he'd only been eighteen at the time, so he could understand how shocking it was.

"Jules, you've gotta focus now, 'kay?" He said, pulling her away from the generator, "We need to move. Come on..."

Once they left the space where the generator was sitting, Julia's focus seemed to return to her, which gave Nick a feeling of relief. The last thing they needed was for her to be distracted. They walked together with her seemingly wanting to keep some distance, trailing behind him with her head lowered. She would cast her gaze around every few seconds, but she was quiet and reserved as usual.

Reaching the end of the street, the pair looked around to see if there were any gas cans nearby, and sure enough, there were two of them by some scaffolding to their left. Julia picked up both cans, and she and Nick broke into a run to get back to the generator. As they did, they heard the shrieking of a car alarm in the distance and then a hoarse cry seemed to come from everywhere.

"Fucking Ellis!" Nick yelled, turning around and opening fire as zombies started to climb over the walls where he and Julia had just collected their gas.

"How do you know that was Ellis' fault?!" Julia cried, gasping in horror as infected started to emerge from the front of them, speeding down the hill towards them.

"Of course it was Ellis!" Nick replied, "Who else is that fucking clumsy?!"

Reaching the generator, Julia quickly unscrewed the lid of the can in her right hand and started to pour its contents into the fuel pipe. Nick was trying to shoot the zombies approaching from behind them while Francis, Zoey and Louis were trying to provide cover from above. As she opened the second can to fill the generator, the voices of Coach, Rochelle and Ellis could be heard coming from her right. Ellis was carrying one can of fuel and Rochelle had three which were all bunched together in her arms, while Coach was busy trying to shoot at the horde running behind them.

"SMOKER!" Francis' voice bellowed over the pounding feet and the screams of the zombies, and Nick managed to catch sight of the special infected on a balcony ahead of himself and Julia.

Using the scope on his rifle, Nick aimed as quickly as he could at the Smoker, took a deep breath and fired, hitting it straight in the head. It collapsed with a wheezy gasp, leaving a cloud of putrid smoke in its wake. When Rochelle got to the generator, Julia busied herself with unfastening the cans ready to hand them to Rochelle, who poured them into the generator as fast as possible. There still wasn't quite enough.

"We could use a couple more cans in here!"

"Jules, let's go!" Nick yelled, heading in the direction that Rochelle, Coach and Ellis had just come from.

Shooting through zombies together, they covered each other well enough until they came to a small store, where Julia spotted two more cans of fuel inside. She raced inside to get them, knocking a waiting infected out of the way before rushing out towards Nick, who shot the zombie that followed her out of the store. A roaring from their right caused them both to spin in shock, only to find not just one, but two Tanks hurtling towards them.

"You've gotta be shitting me!" Nick looked horrified, but he shoved Julia on regardless, "Run!"

They broke into a sprint down the hill, screaming to the others who were dispatching the last of the horde that a Tank was approaching. Julia looked back, only to see one of the Tanks standing at the top of the hill with a huge, jagged slab of concrete in its hands. It launched it towards them, and Nick had to grab Julia and throw them both to the ground to avoid being hit. Julia's body screamed in protest at the impact thanks to her prior injuries, and as she landed, one of the fuel canisters flew out of her hands, thankfully towards Coach, who picked it up.

Nick roughly pulled her to her feet and they kept running with him turning every few seconds to shoot at the Tanks. A yell of ' _Fire in the hole!_ ' from Zoey and the smashing of a bottle let Nick and Julia knew that the Tanks were now engulfed in flame, which only seemed to piss them off more. Julia, panting for breath and shaking at the knees, joined Coach at the generator who was just finishing emptying his can into it and then started to open hers. She poured the can into the generator, smiling when it reached the top.

"That's it!" She yelled, hearing the bridge suddenly kick into life.

Finally, she wrenched her M16 out of her duffel bag and started to help kill the last Tank, which collapsed to its knees after a few seconds of everyone firing at it. No-one, however, was prepared for the sudden roar of a bull that came from the right. The Charger was running at incredible speed, right towards Nick, who was standing to the left of Julia and Coach. Without hesitation, Julia rushed forward and shoved the conman harshly out of the way, but unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to move out of the way herself. She was caught by the Charger, who carried her off her feet with incredible force where she then was slammed into a nearby car.

Nick, who was trying to recover from the sudden shock of being pushed over, looked up to see flashes of apple green and dark blue as Julia's body was slammed time after time into the concrete, her body limp and limbs flailing like a ragdoll's in the Charger's grip. Bullets were hitting the Charger at an unbelievable rate, yet it still continued to pound her into the ground. Julia couldn't speak. The pain was so intense, she was sure she was going to die, and as the Charger pummelled her into the ground once more, her world suddenly fell into darkness.

Quickly getting to his feet, Nick raced across to where Julia now lay prone on the ground, the Charger dead by her side. He couldn't believe that she'd just put herself in harm's way for his worthless ass and that she'd been almost killed doing so. The hit she'd taken in the mall from that Tank had caused her enough damage, but this? He had no idea how bad she was going to be. He was surprised at his own feelings at this moment. If this was someone else he probably could've happily left them behind but seeing her poor, thin, weak-looking frame being hammered into the floor like that made something lurch in his chest. He felt sick, and as he knelt by her side, he was quick to check for any head injuries that she may have received from the Charger's attack.

There was a bump on the back of her head that didn't feel particularly good, but thankfully, there was no blood. The condition of the rest of her, however, remained to be seen. Scooping the redhead into his arms, Nick got to his feet, turning to meet Rochelle who looked somewhat pale and panicked.

"Oh, God!" She cried, "Is she...?"

"She's just knocked out." Nick said, his face also pale, "I can't believe she just did that..."

"The bridge is down, Nick, we have to go!" Ellis yelled, waving frantically at them.

Rochelle covered Nick as he ran with Julia held to his chest, trying to keep her as steady as possible. At the very least, he tried to keep her still so as not to make any injuries worse than they already were. The bridge was indeed down, and the car was in their sights. Making a protective wall as best they could around Nick, Rochelle, Coach and Ellis shot at the horde approaching them from the area where the other three survivors were, and as they reached the car, Rochelle started to pile the bags into the trunk while Coach and Ellis helped Nick into the backseat with Julia, who he kept a tight hold of. He normally would've passed her off to someone else, but there wasn't time for that.

"Come on, Ro! Let's go!" Ellis was calling, and as he ushered Rochelle into the back, the producer took Julia's legs and set them across her own, holding them tightly.

Ellis and Coach then climbed into the front seats and the young mechanic started the car, the force of it moving away from its current position causing Rochelle and Nick to tighten their hold on Julia. This seemed to bring her out of her unconscious state for a brief moment, clearly worsening her pain as she groaned quietly and pitifully in Nick's arms.

"You're okay, Jules. Talk about taking one for the team, huh?"

Nick's words were the result of him not really knowing how to comfort the young woman. She didn't seem to notice what he'd actually said to her as she collapsed back against his shoulder into unconsciousness again. She must've been in a lot of pain, he realised, seeing how her small, dainty hands were balled into fists.

The sounds of everyone else shouting a speedy goodbye went unnoticed by Nick as he studied the pale hands of the young woman in his arms, the fingers of them tightening into a fist and then relaxing a little again of their own accord. She actually wasn't that terrible to hold onto, he supposed. She was light, and even though she was petite, she certainly wasn't bony or anything like that, so he wasn't uncomfortable with her weight against him. He dipped his head to try and get a look at her face but instead caught the scent of her copper hair, the curls now damp and frizzy while somehow, despite their trip through the sewers, retained a hint of the fruity shampoo that she must've only used a couple of days before.

"Nick?" Rochelle asked softly, catching the conman's gaze, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Nick replied darkly, wincing as the car hit a small group of infected which caused it to bounce and rock uncomfortably.

His arms quickly tightened around Julia, earning him a long groan of pain in response, causing the conman to angrily glare at Ellis, who appeared to be enjoying mowing the zombies down.

"Be careful, Ellis!" He snapped angrily, "Jesus Christ!"

"Oh, oh..." Ellis looked back at Nick briefly with guilt on his face, "Shit, I'm sorry... Is she doin' okay back there?"

"What do you think?" Nick snapped again, looking out of the window, "We need to find a place to stop to check on her."

Rochelle was watching interestedly, trying to figure out why Nick was so angry. Was he angry that Julia had done something like that and gotten herself injured to save him? Was he upset that she'd done that and was he now feeling guilty because of it? Was he just plain pissed off in general with the whole situation? Or... Did Nick actually _care_ about somebody other than himself? She didn't really know, nor did she want to focus too much on that. She just wanted to get Julia looked over and to help her recover.

Settling back into their seats, the group tried to get comfortable for their journey, and all of them wanted to find a safe house as soon as possible to tend to their injured friend.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **Thanks so much for reading, guys!**

 **I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hey, guys! Thanks for reading this so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Ten -**

A gas station really seemed to be the worst possible place to stop for the night, but it seemed secure enough, and when the group of four managed to get their injured friend and their belongings inside, they were pleased to see a few sleeping bags and even an old mattress in the corner that they could use to put Julia on to examine her injuries.

Nick, who was still cradling Julia in his arms, placed the young woman carefully on the dirty mattress, while Rochelle quickly approached with her and Ellis' bags in her hands, kneeling beside the young woman to start unpacking medical supplies. Nick stepped away with the others, who were also trying to get other med supplies ready along with bottles of water and rations that had been placed on a nearby palette.

Unzipping Julia's green hoodie carefully, Rochelle tried to ease it away from her body, taking her left arm in her hands to remove the sleeves from Julia's very thin limbs. The sight that she was met with once the hoodie was off was horrid and it caused a very unpleasant pang of shock to go through her. Bruises were all over the pale flesh of Julia's arms. Some the shape of fingertips, some healing, some fresh. Dark angry marks were all over the place, and Rochelle realised immediately that these were not the result of the Charger or Tank attacks that Julia had endured. Heart in her mouth, Rochelle carefully started to lift Julia's t-shirt. She was going to check to see if Julia's ribs had been bruised or broken, but what she was met with made her audibly gasp.

Bruises, again dark and angry, littered Julia's torso, and even more disturbing was the shape of a boot print which was across her stomach near her belly button. That definitely wasn't caused by a Tank or a Charger. Rochelle winced, her heart heavy and her stomach twisting sickeningly at the realisation that somebody had been abusing Julia as recently as the day she'd been found in the hotel, and Rochelle could guess who it had been.

"Guys...?"

Her quiet, slightly wavering voice was enough to stop the men in their tracks. Coach was the first to move to see what was wrong, and at the sight of the damage to Julia's torso, he let out a sad sigh, knowing all too well what had caused the injuries to the young woman's body. Rochelle kept the t-shirt below Julia's bra to try and give her as much dignity as possible, but the evidence presented to them was enough for them to realise that the rest of her torso was probably just as badly marked.

"Oh, young 'un..." Coach sighed sadly again, kneeling down to help Rochelle, "Turn her over, Ro..."

"What?" Ellis asked nervously, "What is it?"

When they didn't answer him, he and Nick moved forward to see what was going on. It transpired that Julia's back was just as bad as her front, and yet another boot print shaped bruise was present, this time on the right side of her back. Ellis' face held what could only be described as a mournful expression as he gazed upon her injuries for the first time. He couldn't speak. He could guess where the bruises had come from, and he now understood why Julia didn't seem to want to talk about herself much. If her boyfriend had been beating her, she wouldn't want strangers to know about it. He just couldn't understand how anyone could hurt someone as sweet as her.

Nick's face was a totally different picture. A red flush seemed to come from the base of his neck and move slowly upwards until his cheeks were a very deep shade of the vibrant colour. His hands clenched into fists by his sides and he turned away from the young woman, his lips pressed into a tight line. Anger swept over him, and it was an anger he hadn't felt for a very, _very_ long time. A sudden growl left his throat and before he could stop himself, he'd punched a cardboard box that was sitting on a counter nearby, hard enough to break it open and for it to fall to the ground, spilling rations all over the dirty linoleum floor.

"That son of a _bitch_!" He spat, glaring at the wall ahead of him.

"Nick?" Rochelle spoke softly, turning Julia onto her back again, "What is it?"

Nick was _shaking_. He was so incensed. He didn't have many morals but one of his was that no matter what, he would _never_ put his hands on a woman, no matter how angry he got. He'd rather break his fist by punching a wall that put his hands on a woman. He could use a woman for sex and not think twice about it, but beating a woman? No. Never. And to think that the son of a bitch who called himself Julia's boyfriend had not only beaten her but savagely assaulted her; someone so small and so innocent... His blood boiled.

"I need some air." He said darkly, throwing the bar off the safe room door before heading outside onto the forecourt of the gas station, slamming it shut behind him.

Coach and Rochelle shared a rather confused and worried look between them. The others were angry about this too, but not to the extent that Nick was. It struck them as very odd that he would be so upset, and they couldn't help but wonder if there was some underlying reason for that. Rochelle immediately started to try and apply some cold compresses to Julia's bruising to try and help it heal a little quicker, while Ellis sat by the young woman, taking her hand into his own.

"I think we know why she woke up in that hotel by herself." Coach muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "Poor girl..."

"You think her boyfriend knocked her out and left her there?" Ellis asked in disbelief.

"I knew that story didn't add up right..." Rochelle said sadly, "Imagine not having anyone to turn to when you're being attacked like this..."

"You two stay here and take care of her." Coach said softly, "I'll go and talk to Nick."

Rochelle and Ellis turned their attention to Julia, being sure to make her as comfortable as possible, while Coach slipped out of the safe room to go and talk to Nick. He found the conman leant against the wall facing forward, his head resting on his arms, his chest heaving with each breath. Angry didn't seem to describe how Nick was in that moment. He was clearly deeply upset by what he'd just seen, and Coach desperately wanted to know why, but he knew Nick wouldn't appreciate him prying.

"Nick...? You alright?" Coach asked carefully, moving towards him.

"Oh, I'm fucking _peachy._ " Nick snarled, not even bothering to gaze at the older man.

"Look... I know that what we've all just seen is pretty damn horrific..." Coach began warily, "But... Somethin' tells me that there's more to this than you're lettin' on. You seem pretty upset."

"How are you not?" Nick asked angrily, "If there's one thing that you should despise as a man, it's men who beat their women. We all know how she got those bruises, and you're _very_ fucking naïve if you think she didn't get them from the same asshole who's probably the reason she was abandoned in that hotel."

Coach raised a placating hand, trying to calm the conman down. There was clearly something much more to this than what Nick was telling him. Coach could speculate all he wanted but he wouldn't know unless Nick told him, and the older man could tell that Nick wouldn't be comfortable divulging that kind of information.

"Listen, Nick, we all know how it looks, okay?" He said softly, "But we can't just charge in there demandin' answers from her. That girl's clearly been through more than enough. We need to let her rest and see if Rochelle can get an answer out of her as to how she got those bruises. She might be more comfortable talkin' to another woman rather than approachin' us fellas."

Nick didn't answer. He just went back to glaring at the wall, his hands balled into fists by his sides. He was _furious_. He was mad at the others for not being as riled up about it as he was. He knew first hand what domestic abuse was like. He'd survived it himself as a kid, and it was the one thing apart from child abuse, rape and paedophilia that made him angry enough to kill someone.

"If there's somethin' else gettin' to ya and you wanna talk, I'll lend an ear, alright?" Coach said quietly after a few moments of silence, "Just... Don't stay out here too long."

With that, thankfully for Nick, Coach left him to return to the safe room, where he found Ellis gently brushing some of Julia's hair out of her face as Rochelle prepared a compress for the back of her head. He knelt down opposite Ellis and took the compress that Rochelle handed to him, feeling around for the bump on the back of Julia's head before holding the cold compress to it.

They were prepared to do whatever they could to try and help, even if it meant they could only take some of her pain away for a short time.

* * *

To say that Julia was surprised to awaken in another safe room with Nick sitting next to her was an understatement.

The conman was asleep, his gun cradled in his lap and his head tilted towards his chest as he snored softly beside her. Her head ached like crazy, causing her to wince with every moment she made. As she turned her head to her left, she found Ellis, who was watching her worriedly with her hand carefully held in both of his. It only then occurred to her as she saw her own bruised skin that her jacket was gone and that everyone had seen the marks on her skin that she'd been desperately trying to keep hidden from them.

She met Ellis' gaze, a look of horror plastered across her petite features. She pulled her hand out of Ellis' grasp and without a word, sat up slowly, ignoring the dizzy spell she was experiencing as she frantically looked for her hoodie, her brown eyes filling with tears and her face suddenly growing blotchy. What must they be thinking now? Why had they taken her jacket off? Why didn't they just leave her alone?

"Whoa, whoa... Easy, Jules." Ellis spoke so gently to her, trying to comfort her by touching her back carefully, "It's okay. We just wanna help."

"Don't touch me." She breathed out, her heart hammering with panic, "Keep away from me."

The others in the room seemed to now stir at the sound of her voice, and Rochelle was the first to approach the young woman to try and calm her other than Ellis. Julia was disgusted that they'd all finally realised how weak she was. She was devastated that her secret was now out, and she was angry that someone had removed some of her clothing without her permission. She had no doubt that, despite her white t-shirt still being in place, that the group had seen the marks that lay beneath it.

"Julia, sweetie, it's alright." Rochelle tried to reassure her, "We just needed to check that you weren't badly injured. That Charger knocked you out cold."

"Who told you that you could take my clothes off?" The redhead asked, her eyes wide, tearful and her voice coming out in this quiet, frantic manner that made her seem breathless, "You didn't have a right to do that."

"We're sorry, honey, but we just had to check that you were okay." Coach said, his expression one of regret, "We didn't realise that you weren't okay with that. We just wanted to help."

The youngest of their group was now in a state of near panic. She'd been desperate to keep her private and personal life out of things. She'd not wanted them to find out about what had been happening to her, but now it was clear that they'd all seen her injuries and it was clear that they were all making their own opinions and judgements about her and what she'd been through. Rochelle eased herself to her knees next to the twenty-one-year-old, helping her into her hoodie.

"Sweetheart?" The older woman's voice was very soft, "I'm not going to lie to you, we've all seen the marks on your arms and your torso, but how you got those marks is not our business. I'm not saying we're not concerned because we are, but it's not our place to start snooping around in your personal life. Okay?"

Julia was crying now, fat tears rolling down her face as her petite frame shook with silent sobs. Rochelle reached out and carefully cupped her face in a motherly fashion, smoothing the younger woman's copper coloured curls out of her eyes, her other hand then moving to rub her injured back.

"But, if you want to get anything at all off your chest, we're all here to listen and we'll try to help you the best we can."

There was quiet for a few moments as Julia continued to cry. Ellis looked about ready to cry himself, Nick was clearly still infuriated with what he'd seen but he was trying to not look at Julia at all, Coach was sitting quietly nearby, and Rochelle continued to carefully rub her back to try to soothe her. Julia wasn't an idiot. She understood that they were all aware of where her injuries had come from and she knew that they'd probably already picked her story about how she missed the hotel evacuation to pieces.

"It was Kevin..."

At the sound of her voice, four pairs of eyes were suddenly on her, and Rochelle instantly moved to hold her hand in a show of support. She knew that none of them had been together long, only a matter of days, but she and the others were the closest things that Julia had to friends and family right now, so Rochelle would try to support her as such, even if she wasn't particularly good at it.

"He gave me my bruises." Julia's voice was hoarse and barely audible as she found it harder to speak past the lump in her throat, "He knocked me out and left me to die back in Savannah... Took all my belongings too."

"I'm sorry, Julia." Rochelle said softly and sincerely, "Had he hurt you before or was that the first time?"

"He's been... _Abusing_ me for about eighteen months..." Julia whispered, crying a little harder as those words left her lips, "Oh, God..."

She'd spoken the ' _A_ ' word out loud and it felt horrible to admit out loud what she'd been going through. But then, it felt a little better, like a weight was being lifted from her shoulders, and as she went into minute detail about the things she'd been suffering and how this may have affected her behaviour, it suddenly made sense to everyone why she'd been acting as bizarrely as she had been. Everyone was mortified, whether their faces showed as much or not, and once Julia had been able to get a little more of her horrific two-year ordeal off her chest, she was reduced to a mess of tears and sobs but some of that was down to the joy of finally being able to tell someone who had believed everything she'd said, and who was trying to support her.

"I'm sorry ya had to go through that, Jules." Ellis said softly, handing her a bottle of water before gingerly placing a hand on her back, "We'll take care of ya... We ain't gonna let him hurt ya ever again."

"Ya got that right, Ellis." Coach said warmly, offering Julia a soft smile, "We've got your back, darlin'."

"And let me promise you something right now." Nick spoke up from his place in the corner, earning a shocked look from the still very tearful Julia as well as everyone else, "If we get to New Orleans and come across that son of a bitch, he's gonna wish he'd _never_ crawled out of his mother."

Julia couldn't help it. Despite her tears, despite the indescribable clusterfuck of emotions that she was trying to deal with at that moment, she let out a very big smile and a something that resembled a cross between a sob and a laugh. Coach, Ellis and Rochelle were relieved to see Nick offer her a small, but genuine smile in return.

"I was so scared of you guys finding out." Julia whispered, wiping at her eyes, "He always told me that if anyone found out, they'd never find my body..."

"Hey, what did we just promise you?" Rochelle murmured, squeezing her hand, "He's gotta get through us, and we're all prepared to tear him a new asshole or two for his trouble."

Once again, Julia let out a smile of relief and joy that finally, the secret was out, and she had people around her to help, who were more than willing to do so despite them barely knowing one another. After taking some time to calm down, she let Rochelle assess her injuries and Coach got everyone their evening meal, which the group ate gratefully.

They took this opportunity to use the bathroom in the safe room to try to clean themselves a little and their clothes. They all adjusted to wearing their new outfits which felt somewhat bizarre, especially when Nick emerged from the bathroom in a very smart, fitted charcoal polo shirt, fitted black slacks and a pair of black dress shoes with a faux leather jacket over his arm. He looked incredibly dressed down in comparison to how he'd looked when they first met him, but it wasn't a bad thing. At least his outfit was a little more practical. No-one questioned why he'd been carrying new shoes around, but at least he looked somewhat comfortable and not quite as dressy.

Rochelle had picked out a looser fitting grey top with slightly longer sleeves than her ' _Depeche Mode_ ' t-shirt, a new pair of skinny jeans and a black jacket, deciding to keep her black boots which she gave a quick clean to get some of the filth off of them. Ellis was now wearing dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt under an open blue-plaid shirt with long sleeves which he'd rolled up, and of course, his baseball cap remained on his head, nice and comfortable. Coach had grabbed a pair of grey pants, a light blue sweater and a black jacket just in case he'd need one, but he kept his same old shoes, not seeing a need to change them. Julia had picked a long-sleeved navy blue shirt, a faux leather jacket and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, along with a pair of boots not unlike Rochelle's. She decided that was one of her better judgement calls given the horror of running through sewer water in sneakers.

As the night grew darker, everyone tried to get comfortable on their sleeping bags, or in Julia's case, her mattress. Ellis was taking the first watch and was sitting close to the door, trying to pass the time by reading some random shitty magazine that had been amongst a small pile near the corner where Julia's mattress was. Julia, following the traumatic, yet liberating day she'd had, couldn't sleep. Her eyes were still a little puffy from her upset earlier on, but she looked much better than she had. After trying for about an hour to get comfortable, Julia sat up slowly, running her hand through her hair as she found herself feeling irritated by the fact that she couldn't sleep.

She slowly got up, drawing Ellis' eyes from the magazine she was holding to her own. She smiled warmly at him before getting up, bringing the blanket she'd managed to find in the back room of the store, and carefully trudged across to him without waking the others. She sat down slowly beside him as he set his magazine down, looking up at his handsome face which was cast in a warm glow by the small, battery-powered lantern that sat on the floor.

"Can't sleep?" He whispered, adjusting his shirt.

"No." She whispered back, "I have a lot going through my head right now."

"I can imagine." Ellis replied, ducking his head, "I'm sorry if we upset ya earlier... We were just tryin' to help."

"I know that." Julia reassured him gently, snuggling into her blanket, "It's alright. I was just shocked. I never meant for you guys to find out."

"And I'm sorry that your boyfriend didn't treat ya right." He said, his blush only just visible in the soft light, "It ain't right to treat your woman like he treated you. Beatin' ya and sayin' horrid things and makin' ya feel bad about yourself ain't right either. He don't deserve you at all."

Julia felt her throat tighten again. Ellis was such a sweetheart sometimes, and to hear him talk about her like that was very touching. Being supported rather than attacked was unusual but not unwelcome at all, and it made her feel very humbled that someone she barely knew was so willing to protect her and try to help her.

"That means a lot, El." She breathed out with a bright smile, "Thank you."

After a moment of quiet, as she adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, Julia let out a long and weary sigh. She didn't particularly want to sleep, although she knew it was a necessity. She tiredly rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn, leaning her head back against the wall. They sat in comfortable silence for a little while longer before Julia finally decided that she really ought to be trying to get some sleep.

"I should try and get some rest." She whispered, getting to her feet, "Goodnight, Ellis."

"Night, Jules." Ellis whispered back, watching her carefully step over the sleeping forms of Nick and Rochelle before carefully easing herself back onto her mattress.

Ellis smiled to himself, truly hoping that Julia was going to be okay now, and he turned back to his magazine while he waited until it was time to wake someone else for their turn on watch.

* * *

Suddenly, for Julia, being in a confined space with three men wasn't so scary anymore.

In the back of the stock car with Nick and Coach, she'd been much calmer and not as self-conscious or nervous as she had been, and everybody could see the improvement. Of course, it would take a long time to recover from the trauma of her abuse, but at least for now, she was in a better place thanks to finding that she could trust and confide in the people she was with. Nick's attitude was also improving, and he wasn't being as openly hostile and even at times he was being what could be considered as friendly, but he still liked to be sarcastic and a little mean at times to the others.

However, nobody missed the small half-smile that his lips quirked into when Julia fell asleep part-way through the journey and rested herself against his shoulder. That smile disappeared very quickly when he caught Coach giving him a rather big, almost-knowing smile. Nick had spent his time in the car trying to get his head around what exactly his feelings were for the people he was now teamed up with. He was finding it easier to be around them and to be nicer to them, and he was also finding it easier to trust them.

It was Julia, however, that had really caught his attention. He found himself feeling a lot of empathy with her and sympathy for her, and what she'd told them all about her two-year relationship with Kevin had struck a nerve with him because of what he'd gone through when he was younger. But, he also found that since he'd seen her do that beautiful little smile when she'd brushed her hair behind her ear, his gaze had been gravitating towards her more often than he'd like. He found himself wanting to be around her and wanting to work with her, and especially after the effort she went to with the hand sanitiser, he was fairly sure that what he was feeling was at the very least infatuation. And that troubled him, a lot.

"Oh, shit..."

The sound of Ellis' voice brought Nick out of his rather bothersome thoughts, and as he and the others leant closer together to see what was wrong, their jaws all dropped. The highway ahead was completely blocked by abandoned vehicles, some crashed, some burnt out, and some just sitting there as though their owners had simply parked them up and left them. Wandering around the area were a fair few zombies, who the group were far from keen to try and take on.

"Fuck..." Nick muttered, preparing to exit the car as everyone else got out to look at the way ahead.

When they got out and saw that the way was most definitely blocked, they looked between themselves with resignation. Rolling her eyes, Rochelle moved to open the trunk, and everybody got their bags and weapons ready for the long walk they had ahead of them.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, guys, but unless Ellis knows how to build a monster truck, we ain't driving through this." Nick said glumly, checking that his Magnum was fully loaded.

"Sorry, guys... I guess it wasn't such a hot idea after all." Ellis muttered.

"Don't sweat it, Ellis." Nick said, adjusting the sleeve of his new jacket, "At least you got us outta that mall."

Ignoring the shocked looks he received from the others, Nick set off walking, while Ellis took a moment to say his goodbyes to the car. Julia, who didn't really want Nick wandering off on his own, walked at his side, her M16 fully loaded and at the ready. Nick looked at her for a brief moment, feeling that awkward whirling in his stomach that made him feel a little bit queasy, and a little anxious.

"Hey, listen... Uh... I never..." He cleared his throat, "I never thanked you for saving me from that Charger."

"Oh..." Julia began, offering him a slightly forced smile before turning her gaze back to the way ahead, "There's no need to thank me. I just did what any of the others would've done."

"No, you didn't." Nick shook his head, "Really, none of the others would've shoved me out of the way and taken the hit themselves. So, thanks."

Julia swallowed hard. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable because she wasn't used to being praised or thanked for anything, so the gratitude was hard to take, but she tried to accept them as best she could. She looked up at the conman, this time able to give him a more genuine smile which seemed to settle him a little too. It seemed the interaction had also been awkward for him.

Behind them, Coach nudged Rochelle, leaning in to whisper to her about how cute Nick and Julia looked together, and he received nothing but a confused and slightly disgusted look in return. Rochelle wasn't too keen on that idea. Nick wasn't really any woman's ideal man unless she was looking for no strings attached sex and for a man with no desire for commitment, but for an abused and battered woman like Julia, whose only experience with men was negative, Nick was the worst possible person to hook up with.

"Hey! _Whisperin' Oaks_!" Coach exclaimed joyfully, "Shit, I used to go there when I was a kid!"

"Oh, good!" Nick piped up from the front of the group, "Now we can die there as adults!"

When the group reached the first vehicles that were blocking the way ahead, they stopped and stared in pure horror. There were _miles_ of parked vehicles, and the number of zombies that were stumbling around ahead was ridiculous. How they were going to make it through this, none of them knew, but they'd sure as hell try to.

Letting out a sigh of dread, the five of them shared looks of concern with each other, and they tried to get ready for the challenging walk ahead.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading this so far!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! I'm glad to see more people are reading this. I hope you're enjoying it so far and thanks for sticking with me. Please feel free to review. It does let me know whether or not it's worth continuing or not, and it also helps me get motivated to keep writing. I've almost completed chapter nineteen at this point and there's still such a long way to go, so please let me know what you think so far.

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Eleven -**

Climbing over the first car in the humongous maze of parked vehicles, the five survivors took in the harrowing sight of open car doors, dead bodies, smears of blood, and people's _lives_ strewn across the highway.

"Oh, God..." Rochelle breathed, "They were attacked in their cars..."

"Let's stick together." Coach murmured, "Look for supplies and nothing unnecessary."

Ellis walked at the front, with Nick and Julia behind him, and Rochelle and Coach behind them. They moved through the multiple vehicles, seeing belongings and suitcases thrown haphazardly across the asphalt, the remains of people being eaten by zombies on one side of the verge while infected people fought each other between the cars. It was pretty horrific, and any searches of cars were quick and for the absolute basics, such as hygiene items, or in Nick's case, a box of condoms. His excuse for this when Ellis caught him was that even though the world had ended, there was no need to give up casual sex, and he wasn't exactly keen on repopulating the planet. Ellis had given him a disapproving stare before then asking if there was another box in case he ever met with Zoey again.

Julia and Rochelle had found some small shampoo and conditioner bottles, both speculating on whether or not they'd have the chance to use them. Coach managed to find a few bags of potato chips which he was going to save until they got to the next safe room, but things almost became heated when he was asked if they counted as unnecessary items by Nick, who was then outed by Ellis regarding the condoms. Rochelle didn't react well to the fact that both Ellis and Nick deemed it necessary to carry such items, but Julia managed to calm the situation down by begging them to keep moving with Coach abandoning his potato chips when he found a hole in the bottom of the bag.

The other problem with navigating this hazardous maze of vehicles was that infected could be anywhere and coming from anywhere. The sound was bouncing off of the vehicles and no-one really knew where to look if they heard growls or angry screams coming their way. Finally, the group managed to find a clearer area where they had better visibility and could be more prepared for any attacks.

"Down this off-ramp." Ellis said, pointing ahead of them, smiling as Julia came to walk alongside him, "How are you feelin', Jules? You got rid of that headache?"

Finally, yes, Julia had gotten rid of the headache she'd been suffering from, courtesy of the bump at the back of her head. That swelling had gone down considerably and thanks to Rochelle and Ellis' care, Julia's bruising was feeling a little less sore as well. She nodded enthusiastically at him, tugging playfully at his blue-plaid shirt with a sweet smile which drew his attention back to her again.

"I'm better, thank you." She replied, "And _this_ looks great on you. It really suits you."

"That's mighty sweet of ya to say." Ellis laughed with a blush, "I like to wear shirts like this when it gets colder."

"Yeah, it's gonna be getting colder soon, huh?" Julia muttered with concern, "I hope we've been rescued before it gets too cold. I'd hate to try and survive out here through the winter."

"We get to New Orleans and we'll be just fine." Coach said quietly, "It's always a little warmer in the south during the winter anyway."

The pleasant conversation was suddenly interrupted by a very high pitched gurgling. That was a sound that none of the five had ever heard before. It caused them to stop in their tracks as more of the gurgling followed, their eyes darting in every direction to look for the source of the noise. It sounded familiar but the pitch of the gurgles made it sound different to the only other infected they'd come across who made sounds like this.

"Hey, maybe this zombie won't be so bad..." Julia whispered, "It sounds kinda cute..."

The comment earned her very funny looks from everyone else, which she expected, but as the infected stumbled out from the nearby bushes to their left, Julia's wondering was over and no-one needed to even question what had actually been making the ' _cute_ ' sounds. Julia's face contorted in horror as she and Ellis backed away from the approaching infected, which was, of all things, a female Boomer, wearing nothing but her underwear by the looks of it.

"Okay, I take it back!" Julia squeaked, crying out as the zombie lurched forward to vomit on her.

Ellis lifted her out of the way just in time as Coach shot the Boomer, leaving her lower half rolling down the embankment she'd just emerged from. While Nick was busy praising Coach for his good shot, Ellis was still holding Julia, who was laughing with relief that she'd not been puked on. She slowly turned and grabbed the left side of his shirt, burying her face in his right shoulder while letting out a happy sigh, allowing Ellis to briefly support her weight.

"Thank you." She breathed out, still laughing softly to herself with pure relief, "That was _way_ too close."

Nick didn't like that exchange. He felt angry about it. Not angry enough to punch Ellis in the face, but angry enough to be openly vocal about the fact that he didn't want to see Ellis all over Julia and vice versa. He wasn't used to feeling like this, and to his horror, he could only assume that what he was feeling was jealousy. He could scarcely believe that he was feeling jealous of Ellis of all people, which only fed his anger. Then, he felt even more annoyed at Ellis, himself, and even Julia.

 _'Oh, for fuck's sake..._ ' He thought to himself, ' _I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask for the fucking apocalypse and I certainly didn't ask for a stupid_ crush _on someone fourteen years younger than me! This is beyond irritating!_ '

"Alright, Ellis. Put her down." He snapped, setting off again with Coach and Rochelle in tow, "She's been manhandled enough without you doing it too."

Julia and Ellis looked at each other, utterly confused at Nick's attitude and remarks considering there was no reason why he needed to be so pissy with them. Rochelle threw them a sweet smile over her shoulder to reassure them and encourage them to keep moving, but that smile disappeared when she looked back at Nick, who was now apparently as grumpy as ever. Ellis and Julia followed quietly behind, occasionally offering one another small smiles of encouragement. Ellis' attention, otherwise, was focused on the back of Nick's head. He didn't know why the conman had such a problem with him, and he knew that he could handle it if Nick had a problem with him, but it was becoming more obvious that Nick was now having some kind of issue with Julia. Ellis wasn't going to let _anything_ happen to Julia. If Nick so much as looked at her wrong, Ellis was going to be there to stand up for her. He promised himself that.

"Searchlights!" Julia cried out, pointing ahead of them under the bridge they were approaching, "That's the first sign of life we've seen for miles!"

"I bet if there's an evac, that's where it'll be." Nick said with a relieved grin, "Come on..."

With his mood seemingly improved, Julia took it upon herself to walk with him as she had been earlier. She wanted to make a bit more of an effort to get to know people better, and having chatted for a lot of the journey with Coach, having shared fun, girlie conversations with Rochelle, and spending a lot of her time talking to Ellis, she figured she'd better make the same effort with Nick. Only, she knew he wasn't going to talk her ear off like Ellis did.

"You mind if I walk with you?"

Nick looked across at her, offering her the tiniest of smirks.

"Knock yourself out, sweetie."

When Julia let out a soft giggle and a blush presented itself against the pale skin of her cheeks, Nick felt that same whirling in his stomach again. Why did she have to be so damn _cute_? He almost shuddered. He didn't like this at all. He was so used to just having one night stands and avoiding any kind of attachment to women since he and his ex-wife divorced that this felt completely alien to him.

"So, um... You're sticking with slacks and dress shoes, huh?" She teased softly, smiling up at the conman if a little nervously.

"What can I say? I like to look smart." Nick replied with a smirk.

"That you do." Julia told him, "And can I just say how much I think you're rocking that polo?"

Nick felt somewhat flattered. He wanted to scowl at her like he would do with Ellis but he couldn't bring himself to. No-one had ever told him that he'd rocked anything before. Apart from one of the girls he slept with in high school who claimed he'd rocked her world, despite the fact she'd clearly been faking when they were having sex. That had been a real knock to his confidence, it had to be said.

"Thanks." He replied with a chuckle, "I like a girl who knows style when she sees it."

"And what makes you think I know style?" Julia asked, ducking her head somewhat bashfully as she brushed her hair behind her ear, tightening her grip on her M16.

"Well, let's just say you're rocking your outfit too." Nick answered, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

Julia looked up at him again, her eyes narrowing suspiciously for the briefest of moments before she found herself smiling quite brightly. She hadn't expected anything like a compliment from Nick but that? That was the closest thing she'd had to, ' _You look really nice_ ' that she'd had in well over a year.

"Thanks." She murmured, feeling her cheeks heat with the spread of a fierce blush.

They continued to walk in what they both found to be surprisingly comfortable silence while listening to bits and pieces of conversation between the others. It wasn't long until they came to a motel, but unfortunately, the way for them was blocked by vehicles. They were going to have to cut through the motel, which was probably full of zombies.

"Do you see a way in?" Julia asked, scanning the chainlink fences to see if there was some kind of tear or opening in the fencing that they could pass through.

"I'm not climbing over this. It's got barbed wire at the top... We'll try up here." Nick said, indicating the embankment to the right of them.

Coach was already well ahead of them, starting the rather tiring climb to the top of the embankment to see where they had to go from there. Ellis and Rochelle joined Nick and Julia in the climb up to the top, and Coach indicated that they'd have to cross the billboard supports opposite and get onto the roof of the main office. He'd spotted a bus that they could use to climb down into the motel parking lot so that they could go from there to find a way back onto the road.

"Be careful... It looks like it might be a bit of a jump between the billboard and the roof." Coach told them, leading the way, "Let's go."

Once on the roof, the group looked across the parking lot. From the look of things, they'd need to reach the upper walkway and then head down to the other side of the fencing which seemed to surround the motel up to the back of the pool. Hopefully, they'd be able to make progress from that point. Coach and Nick headed onto the bus first, and between Nick and Ellis, Rochelle and Julia were helped onto the bus safely, since there was a considerable drop between the roof of the main office and the ground.

They then moved to climb down the front of the bus, and as they reached the ground, Rochelle and Julia started shooting at zombies in the immediate vicinity while the guys climbed down behind them. Coach told everyone to search the rooms and he took Julia into a room further down from the office, while Nick, Rochelle and Ellis searched the office and the room next to it. As Coach walked in front of her, he spoke to her gently over his shoulder, keeping his voice down so as not to alert the infected that were wandering in some of the rooms.

"Ya doin' alright, young 'un?"

"I'm good, thanks, Coach." Julia said sweetly, "And you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm good." Coach chuckled in reply, turning to her with a more serious expression before adding, "Whatever ya do, watch out for the cars... Some of 'em are alarmed."

Julia nodded, looking over her shoulder at the parking lot behind her. There were only a couple of infected wandering around, but all it would take was one walking into a car to attract zombies from all over the area and then they'd be in trouble. Entering the dark storeroom with Coach, Julia kept her eye out for the others coming or for any potential attacks from infected.

Coach was searching the shelves for anything useful, but unfortunately, found nothing. When the others returned to them with some extra ammo and a first aid kit, however, there was some relief on Julia and Coach's part that at least someone had found something useful. To the right of where they were standing, there was a set of stairs which led up to the next walkway, which was where they needed to go.

"Is it worth searching these rooms?" Nick asked, looking across at the large motel, "There's a lot of 'em to look through."

"No, we're already weighed down with supplies." Coach muttered, "I doubt we can carry much more without being slowed down, and that ain't what we need."

"Then, let's keep moving before we attract unwanted attention." Julia whispered, indicating the zombies in the parking lot, two of which were fighting near the entrance to the pool, "Up these stairs."

"Let's make this quick, y'all." Coach said, turning to head up the stairs, "Come on."

Everyone followed him up the stairs, and they jogged along the walkway where various brightly, if a little garishly coloured rooms were hidden behind green coloured doors, some of which also concealed the odd zombie or two. The growls were hard to ignore but the focus was getting out of this motel since they could be any number of infected people in the vicinity that the group potentially didn't have the ammo to take out.

"Keep movin'." Coach encouraged them, shooting a zombie that was standing on the walkway ahead of them as they rounded the corner.

He suddenly came to a stop, however, and Nick had to grab a hold of Ellis to stop him from running into Rochelle and Julia due to how quickly Coach had become stationary. There was a huge gap in the walkway, and the other side of the walkway was a fair distance away as part of it had clearly collapsed, making it obvious that jumping across wasn't possible. Coach let out a small grunt of displeasure at this, and quickly opened the door to his immediate right, feeling incredibly relieved when he saw that the wall separating that room from the next was partially knocked through, giving the group a way around.

"Through here." Coach said, leading them through the door.

Julia walked through last, closing the door behind her while Nick did a quick search of the bathroom opposite. Coach was already leading Rochelle and Ellis through to the next area, so Nick quickly beckoned Julia to follow, and they rushed after them with Nick then ushering Julia forward so she could climb through the window of the next room first. With the walkway missing from outside the door of the room, the only way out was through the window, which had already been broken through.

Rochelle and Ellis were looking over the balcony ahead where there were several infected wandering around on both the asphalt and the grass just at the bottom of the motel steps. Since it was easily manageable, the group slowed to a walk, catching their breath as they walked down the stairs and split into two groups to start killing the zombies in their way.

The distinct sound of neighing could be heard in the distance, coming from somewhere behind the motel which sent everyone into high alert. A Jockey was _not_ a welcome addition to their group of five and no-one wanted to get ridden by it. The neighing and maniacal laughter drew ever closer with all eyes scanning the area behind the motel, only for Rochelle to spot the little zombie sprinting towards them through the grass. Before she could get the warning out of her mouth, it flew through the air, landing on her face and sending her stumbling backwards into the motel wall, her head colliding with it harshly.

"Argh!" She cried out, trying to hit it with the butt of her gun, "It's on my face!"

Julia, who was closest to Rochelle, swung her M16 around in her hands and smacked the Jockey right on the side of the head with so much force that she almost lost her balance. As it flew from Rochelle's shoulders, it was pulling her away from the motel wall which caused her to stagger as well, only for her to be caught by Ellis while everyone else was trying to get a shot at the clownish zombie that was still shrieking maniacally. It stumbled briefly as it hit the floor, but then it launched itself at the Julia, hitting her from the side and sending her falling to the floor. Gun abandoned, she was hauled up by her hair, screaming for someone to help her. Coach was running to help her, but Ellis got there first, slamming the crowbar down as hard as he could on the little zombie's head. It convulsed briefly but stopped almost immediately after the hit, falling from Julia's shoulders with a thud, the crowbar still lodged in its skull. Ellis went to check on Julia while Coach tended to Rochelle, who had a nasty little gouge on her left cheek.

"Ellis, you want this crowbar?" Nick asked, trying to not look at how Ellis was now cupping Julia's face to check for injuries.

"Please." Ellis replied, keeping his gaze trained on Julia, "Did it hurt ya, Jules?"

"I'm fine." Julia said sweetly, turning to look at Rochelle, "Are you okay, Ro?"

"It cut me." Rochelle grumbled, "Creepy little asshole."

Coach seemed satisfied that Rochelle wasn't hurt too badly since her cut had already stopped bleeding, and Ellis was happy that Julia hadn't been hurt at all apart from the pain in her scalp from where the Jockey had been pulling her hair. While Coach, Ellis and Rochelle walked at the front, Julia waited a moment for Nick to catch up and walked with him at the back. The more she was in his company, the more comfortable she felt which was a huge positive for her.

"Watch out, y'all. This verge looks pretty steep." Coach warned them, moving further along the edge of the verge he was standing next to try and find an easier way down.

Ellis, apparently, didn't hear this warning, and as he was looking over his shoulder in the direction of a strange sound he'd heard from some nearby foliage, he ended up tripping over himself and flew head first down the awfully steep hill. Nick couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased that the hick had taken a fall, but when Julia's horrified expression and terror-filled scream hit his ears, his pleasure at Ellis' misfortune disappeared.

" _Ellis_!" She cried out, her eyes fixed on Ellis' form as he rolled, tumbled, bounced and slid down the hill, "Oh, God..."

She frantically looked for a way down, her heart in her throat. Without waiting for the others, she eased herself down into a crouched position and carefully slid to a small platform of dirt and grass that was a few feet below the others. Unfortunately for her, she landed awkwardly and went tumbling over the other side of it herself, screaming out as she fell.

"Jules!" Rochelle yelled, her eyes frantic, "Shit!"

Rolling, bouncing, tumbling, sliding, grunting in pain, Julia finally landed at the bottom, missing Ellis by inches who was currently trying to lift himself from the ground. He looked panicked as he saw her slam into a rock nearby, causing her to let out a pained yelp. The agony that shot through the young woman as her bruised and battered body hit the rock was unbearable, almost as bad as the slap she'd received from the Tank back in Savannah, and she instinctively curled in on herself, letting out a cough and a pained groan.

When Nick had seen Julia fall over the verge she'd landed on, his heart had flown into his throat. Panic had gripped him like nothing he'd ever felt before and he'd been the first to go after both her and Ellis. He obviously didn't want Ellis to be too badly hurt, but he couldn't help feeling concerned for Julia, who already had numerous injuries that were trying to heal. He, Coach and Rochelle landed at the bottom of the verge, where Ellis was kneeling over Julia while she tried to sit up, her arm locked around her torso. Rochelle picked up Julia's gun while Coach grabbed Ellis' and Nick couldn't help but jog over to the pair, kneeling down by the redhead to make sure she was alright.

"You both okay?" He asked, his voice much calmer and more level than he thought it'd be.

"I'm fine, just a little bruised." Ellis muttered, "I dunno about Jules. She crashed right into this here rock..."

"Just give me a second." Julia breathed out, coughing harshly, "I'm okay."

She felt Nick's hands on her arms as he carefully helped her to sit up and she found herself reaching out and using his knee as leverage as she then allowed Ellis to take her hand and pull her to her feet. Rochelle, who had been watching the different exchanges with interest, held out Julia's M16, which she took with a grateful smile. Coach handed Ellis his gun back and then instructed Nick to stay by Julia and support her if necessary. Apparently, support was necessary. Her previous injuries from her boyfriend, the Tank and the Charger had been aggravated pretty badly by the fall, and Nick was left walking with Julia at a rather slow pace, her arm around his neck and his around her waist to support her.

Nick was angry. This was Ellis' fault. If he hadn't been so fucking clumsy then Julia wouldn't have rushed after him and she probably wouldn't have fallen. She wouldn't have been in pain, or in need of help like this, and Nick wouldn't have been panicking internally at the fact that he was enjoying holding her and having this contact with her.

"Maybe you should listen to Coach when he tells you to watch your step, El." He growled out between gritted teeth, "If it wasn't for you throwing your stupid hillbilly ass down that verge, Julia wouldn't have fallen."

Ellis turned around, his expression one of anger and indignation. Oh, Nick was _not_ going to say shit like _that_ and get away with it. The hillbilly comment he could take, but blaming him for Julia getting hurt he couldn't since he'd never do _anything_ to hurt that woman. Well... Not intentionally anyway.

"Nick..." Rochelle warned the conman, turning around to glare at him.

"You just shut up, Nick. You know damn well that I never meant to fall, and it wasn't my fault that Jules fell neither."

"Of course it was, you fucking moron." Nick spat, "If she didn't feel the need to chase your sorry ass 'cause you can't take care of yourself..."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Coach's voice came from the back of the group, "Let's not get into this out here, alright? We don't need to be attractin' unwanted attention right now, not when Julia's hurt."

"This ain't my fault!" Ellis protested, glaring at Nick, "I dunno why ya care so much anyway. Ya can be pretty damn mean to her sometimes, and..."

"What the fuck are you saying?" Nick growled, raising himself up to his full height, "When have I ever been...?"

He didn't get the chance to answer. Standing to his full height had caused Julia to stretch with him, and her torso screamed in protest to the sudden movement which caused her to cry out in pain, her legs buckling slightly beneath her. He went to steady her but was met with a rather stony, pain-filled glare which made Nick almost drop her. Julia was sick of them talking about her like she wasn't there, and she didn't want anybody fighting because of her. She wanted to be away from both Nick and Ellis for a while until they could both calm themselves down.

"Would you both stop?" Julia asked, her voice strained and hoarse as she let out a pained breath, "Please...? I wanna walk with someone else..."

Ellis stepped forward to help her, but she raised a hand weakly, stopping him in his tracks. He looked confused at first and then hurt, and Nick didn't exactly look happy about having to hand her off to someone else either.

"Not you!" She breathed out, exasperated, turning to look at the large man behind them, "Coach?"

Coach stepped forward without hesitation and took her from Nick, who seemed almost reluctant to release her into the older man's care. Coach glared at both men with narrowed eyes while he carefully moved to support their injured teammate, his jaw clenched as he tried to keep his temper. He had no idea what this stupid alpha male bullshit was between Nick and Ellis, but poor Julia didn't deserve to be caught in the middle, and they really didn't have time to be butting heads.

"Shut the hell up, both of ya. I don't know what's goin' on with y'all but you've gotta pull yourselves together. We gotta work as a team, and we gotta get Julia someplace safe to check her over." He said angrily, steadying the young redhead as she stumbled slightly, "We don't have time for this shit, now get your asses movin'!"

Nick stood himself up to full height again, stepping behind the older man to walk at the back of the group while Ellis, now looking rather ashamed of himself and upset by Julia's rejection of his help, took his place at the front with Rochelle. The former conman was now even angrier with Ellis because their fighting had caused Julia to push him away. Just when he'd started to feel more comfortable around her and when he'd started finding it that bit easier to get on with the others and to offer help when it was necessary without feeling awkward or strange, Ellis had to come along and piss him off something chronic. Ellis, on the other hand, felt rather upset. He'd never expected Julia to push him away either, and he was angrier than ever at Nick for upsetting her to a point when she wouldn't accept either of their help. He didn't want to see Julia hurt at all, and he did feel responsible for her falling down the verge as it was without Nick trying to make it worse just to be an ass. And what the hell did Nick care so much about Julia for anyway? It wasn't like Julia liked being around him or anything...

He and Nick both listened to Coach trying to gently console and encourage Julia, who was clearly in a lot of pain, while trying to keep their minds off of beating the shit out of each other as the five of them steadily approached the bottom of the other side of the verge to begin the long trek to the top again.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks again for reading this so far!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hey, everyone. Sorry for the lack of update yesterday, but the website wasn't working for me. Here we are, at chapter twelve. Chapter nineteen is almost complete. My want to keep writing this story has diminished a little due to the lack of reviews etc, but to everyone who's reading, I really do appreciate you taking the time to look at my story. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twelve -**

After being given some painkillers and after being assisted to the top of the next verge, Julia felt able to walk on her own again.

Trying to ignore Ellis' excited babbling about wanting to ride something in the amusement park they'd finally reached, the redhead stayed by Rochelle and the two were discussing more normal, everyday things while Nick stewed silently behind them, glaring holes into the back of Ellis' head. They were fortunate enough to find a safe room right in the parking lot of the amusement park, so they took the opportunity to check Julia over for any additional injury, and Rochelle helped Ellis clean a scrape he'd gotten on his elbow from the fall down the verge. Other than what he knew would be a badly bruised kneecap, he seemed to be fine. Nick was leaning back against the off-white wall of the safe room, reloading his sniper rifle which he was sorely tempted to aim at Ellis. Rochelle's glare as she moved to help Coach examine Julia was enough to stop him.

"Oh, shit! Is that the _Midnight Riders_?" Ellis asked aghast as he spied a poster on the safe room wall.

"Never heard of 'em." Nick commented, looking at Coach who was applying some deep heat gel to Julia's ribs as Rochelle used her jacket to shield the redhead's torso from view, "They any good?"

"Hell yes! I got _all_ their albums. Even their new stuff that ain't no good!" Coach said with a grin, screwing the lid back on the gel bottle, "Best light show in the business!"

"I'll back ya up on that." Ellis laughed, "Hell of a show. Hey, Jules, do you like classic rock?"

"No." Julia replied, her jaw set in a firm line, "No, I don't."

Ellis' smile disappeared very quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to ignore the worried looks that Rochelle and Coach were giving him while Nick smirked behind his back, lifting the bar from the safe room door and dropping it to the ground nearby. Taking that as a silent indication that they were ready to move, everyone got ready to leave, but when Julia was passing Ellis to go to the safe room door, he quickly pulled it shut to close himself and Julia inside.

"Before we go out there, can I talk to ya for a minute?" He asked, swallowing hard.

Julia fiddled absently with the rifle in her hands, her gaze fixed on that rather than Ellis. She shrugged, her jaw clenched shut in both anger and annoyance. On the other side of the door, Ellis could hear Nick complaining and asking what the hell he was doing while Coach and Rochelle tried to shut him up, but the young mechanic tried to block that out while also trying to figure out how best to apologise to Julia. He hated having to apologise because he found it so damn hard. It never felt like enough to make up for whatever he'd done and he never really knew what to say.

"I didn't mean for ya to get hurt earlier." He said quietly.

"I know that." Julia murmured, "I-It wasn't your fault."

"And I'm sorry that Nick and I started arguin' and that it upset ya..." Ellis continued, stepping closer to the twenty-one-year-old, "Please, don't stay mad at me... Ya can be as mad at Nick as ya like, but..."

"Ellis... I've had enough anger and negativity around me or directed at me to last me a lifetime." Ellis was surprised when Julia cut him off, her eyes full of exhaustion and weariness, "I don't know why you and Nick have a problem with each other, but please, fix it. And don't bring me into your stupid fights."

"I'm sorry." Ellis murmured, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck again, "I really am. And I promise it ain't gonna happen again."

"Thank you." Julia said, her eyes falling back to her gun, "Now, can we please make a move?"

Ellis said nothing. Instead, he pushed open the door, waiting for her to pass him by to join the others, feeling relieved that he'd apologised but feeling worried that he and Julia weren't okay. He thought of her as a little sister now, and it sucked to have her so mad at him. Without even waiting for anyone to say anything to her, Julia walked ahead towards the entrance of the amusement park, glancing very briefly over her shoulder.

"Rochelle?"

Rochelle moved to join Julia at the front of the group, who was trying to ignore the fact that Ellis was muttering something to Nick at the back of them which was, no doubt, in relation to what they'd just been discussing. With both women veering off to the right and into a small building, Nick, Ellis and Coach decided to head through the gates and have a look around the immediate area for anything that could be of any use.

"I like ya, Nick, and I try to be nice and civil to ya, but I dunno why ya have such a problem with me..."

"You're stupid, annoying, you have next to no survival instincts and you're gonna get someone here killed because you're a total fucking moron." Nick snarled, "That's why I have such a problem with you. You don't know when to keep your fucking mouth shut."

He looked inside one ticket booth while Coach checked out another, with Ellis keeping watch outside, now feeling even worse than he did before. The younger man rubbed the back of his neck again, clearing his throat as Nick returned with a Molotov cocktail and a first aid kit, which he decided to give to Coach, who passed them both on to Ellis.

"Look, I'm sorry I piss ya off... Okay? I don't mean to do it." Ellis said sadly, "Just... Julia's upset that we're fightin' and she's upset that we bring her into it. Maybe ya should tell her you're sorry too."

"Sorry for what? For giving the person responsible for her injuries a talking to?" Nick asked incredulously.

"Hey, Nick?" Coach began, stepping out from the booth he was checking, "The only people responsible for that girl's injuries are her boyfriend, the Tank that hit her in the mall and the Charger that caught her at the bridge. Ellis didn't shove her over that verge. She fell tryin' to help him. That ain't his fault."

Ellis ducked his head and walked away to find the girls, leaving Nick to start debating the issue with Coach, who was clearly not in the mood for the childish bullshit that was going on. Coach could see what Nick didn't want to, which was that Nick was attracted to Julia. While Coach never liked to think of dark things, he knew Nick was troubled. He could see it in the other man's eyes; the pain, the anger and the suffering that he'd gone through in his past. It was no surprise that Nick would be drawn to someone who'd suffered too, and boy, had Julia suffered. The other thing that Coach knew was obvious was that Julia was incredibly pretty. She had a lovely figure, beautiful eyes and she was petite. She looked vulnerable. Nick's reaction to the fact that she'd been abused told Coach that even he had an instinct and a want to protect her. It seemed like a natural thing for men to do and for humans to do; to protect the smallest and weakest of the group. For most men, save for a few not so good men, a vulnerable woman was someone they wanted to protect and care for. That was probably half the reason that Nick was so mad at Ellis in the first place.

"If he'd listened to you instead of being a moron, he never would've fallen and scared her like that." Nick said, looking across the way at the various kiosks and buildings ahead which brought Coach out of his thoughts.

"Nick... While it's nice to see ya worryin' about someone else other than yourself for once, you gotta put this childish stuff behind ya and work _with_ us... 'Kay?" Coach said quietly, not even considering backing down when Nick raised himself to his full height and puffed out his chest in some sort of alpha-male way, "What happened on that verge was an accident, and thankfully there was no real damage other than some bruises. So, at least try to be civil to Ellis, and do somethin' decent for once in your life, and apologise to Jules."

Nick looked at Coach as though he'd asked him to cut his own arm off. Clearly, apologies weren't Nick's strong suit, but if he had the capacity to care for and worry for others in the way that he'd started to do with their group, he could find some way of showing Julia that he was sorry for upsetting her.

"It doesn't have to be some grand gesture or nothin'." Coach said with a sigh, "Just tell her ya didn't mean to upset her and that you're gonna make more of an effort with Ellis."

"Are you guys okay?" Rochelle's voice brought them out of their conversation.

Julia was standing between Rochelle and Ellis awkwardly, holding a pipe bomb gingerly in her hands, while Ellis was holding onto a fire axe, his crowbar abandoned elsewhere. Coach and Nick stepped away from each other, and while the younger man remained stoic, Coach let out a grin, praising the larger group for their find. He asked Rochelle and Ellis to join him in checking out the bathrooms to the left, leaving Nick and Julia alone to look at the kiosks nearby. Feeling now angry that Coach had clearly left them on their own on purpose so that he could apologise to Julia, Nick tried to swallow down the anger he felt towards the older man, and he turned to Julia who was holding the pipe bomb in her hand like it would blow up at any second.

"You, um... You want me to take that?" He asked her, taking in the rather tired look in her eyes, "You look like you don't wanna hold onto it."

"Thanks." She murmured, passing the offending object to him, which he put in the pocket of his black slacks.

After another moment of awkward silence, Nick turned to Julia, letting out a harsh breath that he didn't know he'd been holding in as they walked towards a shooting range that sat still lit at the end of the area they were crossing.

"Jules... Um... Listen..."

 _'Great start, assclown_.' Nick thought bitterly, trying to turn on his usual charm that seemed to get the ladies into bed rather than coming across like an awkward high-schooler trying to ask his crush out.

"I heard that you're a bit pissed at me and Ellis for our little... Disagreement earlier."

"Disagreement?" Julia asked incredulously, huffing out a breath of disbelief.

"Look, I was being an ass, alright?" Nick hissed harshly, "I only got angry with him because his stupidity got both him and you hurt!"

"No, you get mad at him all the time and usually with no real reason to." Julia said, trying to swallow down her sudden onset of anxiety as she took in the last part of his sentence.

Was Nick _worried_ about her? Was that why he got so angry with Ellis? Well, sure, Julia had heard Nick blaming Ellis for her fall but she'd assumed he'd used it as another excuse to get at Ellis about something, not that he was actually concerned that she'd been hurt. Her expression softened as this information was processed by her racing brain and Nick seemed to notice that it had.

"You were worried about me?" She asked softly, her cheeks suddenly reddening with the realisation.

Nick was obviously embarrassed too. Julia could understand it. Men like Nick didn't want to show that they were concerned for someone else. Nick had spent most of his adult life perfecting his poker face and he likely used it in his personal life too. He always seemed so cold and so disinterested that the revelation that he actually did care for someone other than himself may have been disturbing to him.

"I was worried that two injured people were gonna slow us down. If we'd been attacked by a horde or a Tank we would've been fucked." Nick replied coldly, "And Ellis has no common sense. If anyone's gonna get us killed, it's him."

"He might be a little clumsy and he might not always think before he opens his mouth, but at least he's a nice person." Julia said, a lump forming in her throat as she felt the embarrassment of his response hit her, completely ruining her hope and belief that maybe he'd been worried about someone other than himself, "He doesn't look upon anyone with disdain or like they're beneath him. Unlike you."

Nick had to wonder where her sudden bravado had come from. She'd been so meek before, and despite the fact that he could see the hint of fear in her eyes of what consequences this outburst would bring, she appeared more confident in this moment than he'd ever seen her. Julia, meanwhile, wanted her mouth to stop moving and her voice to stop working. She had no idea why she was getting into an argument with someone who made her anxious, but if she was honest, it felt good to finally be able to stand up to somebody. Her heart was hammering, she felt like bursting into tears and she was shaking like a leaf, but she felt proud of herself that she was finally brave enough to confront a man, who she knew could so easily hurt her, about the way he treated other people.

"You think you're so above us with your stupidly expensive suit and your experience with guns, and I don't know if that hickey on your neck gives you some feeling of superiority above the other men in this group, but you're nowhere near as wonderful as you seem to think you are." She spoke with tears in her eyes now, nausea settling into the pit of her stomach, "You're cold, you're arrogant, you're conceited and you're repulsive sometimes."

"I'm repulsive?" Nick's words came out in quite a level tone, more like a statement than a question, "I just told you that I was worried about you when you fell down that verge and you tell me I'm cold and _repulsive_?"

He would be lying to himself if he thought that her scathing words about him weren't hurtful. What she'd said had hurt him a lot. He knew he came across as an arrogant asshole sometimes, and yes, he considered himself a bit of a ladies man since he spent a lot of his time trying to get women into bed as the hickey on his neck proved, but what those statements themselves proved was how little Julia actually knew him. The cold attitude was something he'd had to build up a long time ago as a defence mechanism. The abuse he'd suffered as a child and the things he'd had to see when he was growing up had made him build up a wall that no-one had been able to break through thus far. Not even his ex-wife. But being shot down like this when he'd been able to finally admit to someone that he cared about them, even if it was just mild concern, felt pretty fucking terrible.

"You never said you were worried about me." Julia whispered, swallowing as a tear escaped her eyes, "You said you were worried about me and Ellis both slowing you down. There's a big difference."

She was right. There was a big difference. Protecting himself was what Nick had prioritised at that moment, rather than the feelings of the woman he was attracted to. That spoke volumes to him about his own personality and his own character. He was incredibly selfish. Too selfish to be deserving of someone like Julia who'd been through more than enough already. The hurtful truths she'd just unleashed on him, combined with this realisation of his own ridiculous level of selfishness made him react in the only way he knew how to in a situation where he felt both wounded and threatened. He became angry.

"You know what, princess? Go fuck yourself." He growled out, moving past her towards a building that had the word ' _Refreshments_ ' painted above the door.

Julia let out a breath as he walked away, willing away the angry tears from her eyes before leaning against the wall of the nearby shooting range, her head leaning back against it as she stared up at the sky. Part of her felt guilty that she'd attacked him like that. She'd really not been able to control what was coming out of her mouth at all, and she knew she shouldn't have stooped to his level by berating him in the way that she had especially when he'd shown concern for her.

When Rochelle, Ellis and Coach emerged from the bathrooms, it was clear to them that something was wrong. Not only was Nick missing but Julia was looking somewhat distressed again. Coach had his suspicions that Nick's attempt at an apology had not gone well, and if he was honest, the timing of this couldn't be more inconvenient. The last thing the group needed was to be divided because of silly arguments when they needed more than ever to stick together.

"Honey, are you okay?" Rochelle asked, if a little nervously, "Where's Nick?"

"In there." Julia answered quietly, nodding towards the ' _Refreshment_ ' building.

Rolling his eyes, Coach headed that way with Ellis in tow, who kept glancing over his shoulder at the girls as Rochelle put a comforting arm around Julia. Julia explained what had happened to Rochelle, who couldn't help but praise her for telling Nick a few uncomfortable home truths despite the fact that Julia felt awful for doing so.

"He's been asking for someone to tell him what an asshole he is for a while." Rochelle said quietly, "He's been picking on Ellis since we all met one another, and it's about time someone took him up on it."

"I'm sorry." Julia whispered weakly, "I know we don't need this stupid fighting going on, but I just couldn't stop... Once I started talking..."

"Y'know what, honey?" Rochelle cut her off, trying to soothe her, "It's Nick. He's a tough guy. He'll get over it sooner or later. Don't apologise for standing up for Ellis or yourself, for that matter."

Ellis could soon be seen returning from the building that Nick had just been in, and without a word, he took Julia by the arm and quietly encouraged her to walk with him. Rochelle then saw Nick emerging with Coach, who had a rather irritated look on his face. Nick, however, looked incredibly solemn, and the anger that was displayed in his expression was minimal. He looked more _hurt_ than anything else, and that was certainly a surprise to Rochelle. She watched him as they set off moving again, noticing how his gaze kept moving to Ellis and Julia, and then away again as though the sight of them walking together was too much for him to stand. It was very unusual and very worrying.

"Are you okay?" Ellis whispered, looking down at Julia, whose brown eyes were now reddened from her upset.

"I'm okay." She said with a sigh, offering Ellis a weak smile, "Really."

"Thanks for stickin' up for me." Ellis said quietly, "I actually got an apology outta him. It wasn't nothin' spectacular but it was an apology nonetheless."

"You did?" She replied, trying not to look as stunned as she felt.

"Whatever ya said to him must've got him thinkin' about his attitude and stuff." Ellis surmised, shrugging as he readied his shotgun for any infected they might encounter, "Anyway. As long as you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Julia reassured him, "Just... I said some hurtful things to him. Makes me almost as bad as he is."

"It ain't like he hasn't been askin' for it." Ellis muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the conman who didn't really seem to be concentrating on what was around them.

Before Ellis could continue the conversation, a very sinister growling sound could be heard coming from the warehouse that the group was about to pass through. They all stopped dead in their tracks, a feeling of dread settling in the pits of their stomachs at the realisation of what was waiting for them. Ellis warily reached for the Molotov in his jeans pocket while Nick stepped forward, handing the mechanic the lighter he was carrying.

"We all know what that sound is." Coach whispered harshly, "When it comes at us, we split up and try to take it out as fast as possible."

Ellis lit the Molotov, while everyone else tried to brace themselves for what the young man was about to do. Stepping closer to the warehouse door carefully, Ellis saw a flash of pink as the Tank snorted, angrily slamming its fist into a shelving unit nearby. Ellis launched the Molotov at the Tank, hearing the roar of pain and fury as it suddenly set upon the group of five. They were already scattered and running in separate directions, not giving the Tank any clear target to aim for. Nick and Rochelle spread out to the right and Julia and Coach headed to the left, while Ellis sprinted away from the now flaming beast as it charged after him, growling and roaring in anger.

Everyone opened fire, shooting the burning creature with round after round of ammunition. The smell was horrific as was the roar of the fire and as the Tank set its sights on Ellis, the group knew they had to act before their friend was injured and potentially set alight as well. As the Tank smashed its way through a food stall right next to Ellis, the mechanic launched himself out of the way, rolling over and staggering to his feet to get out of the creature's way. After what felt like an eternity, it collapsed dead, its body still aflame.

Ellis emerged, his face pale and mouth slightly agape. It was quickly established that he wasn't hurt, but instead, shocked by his near miss with the Tank and the kiosk. The group quickly headed into the warehouse since they didn't want to attract any more trouble, their flashlights illuminating the space they now stood in. One lone silhouette stood between them and the way out, and as the infected turned towards them, its glowing eyes shining in the dark, one shot from Nick's sniper rifle took its head clean off.

"We gonna stand around all day, or are we gonna make a move?" He asked, moving through the group and purposely brushing against Julia as he went.

Coach instinctively followed him as did Rochelle, while Ellis stayed protectively by his younger friend, who really didn't appreciate Nick's attitude. The tension within the group could be cut with a knife, and for those caught in the middle of what had happened between Nick and Julia, it was hard to even try to make conversation.

"Steady..." Coach said quietly, stopping everyone from going further, "Listen?"

 _Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._

"I know that sound..." Ellis murmured, if a little fearfully, "And I hate it."

"Is that a clown?" Julia whispered incredulously, "A _zombie_ clown?"

"That's gonna be a problem." Nick growled, "That thing comes running at us, and its gonna attract a horde."

"How many clowns does a place like this have, Coach?" Rochelle asked warily, looking up at the older man worriedly.

"Lots." Coach muttered, "At least it used to."

The notion filled everyone with dread. Enough clowns running at them could potentially get them killed. There was only one way to avoid that, and it was to take out any clowns they came across before they were spotted, which would be easier said than done. Not only were they going to be hard to spot amongst the other infected in the early dusk, but it seemed that Ellis was phobic of them, which could cause problems.

"Fantastic." Nick growled, reloading his gun and readying it in his hands, "Kill every clown you see."

He poked his head around the doorway they'd walked up to as Ellis and Julia searched some of the shelving units in the breeze-block room they were standing in. Thankfully, they found some more ammo and, of all things, a box of batteries for the flashlights on their weapons, and as they returned to the group, they could see Nick looking through the scope of his sniper rifle, aiming it steadily.

Raising her dark eyes towards the conman's face, Julia felt her stomach somersault quite violently. He was concentrated on whatever he was aiming at, his jaw clenched while his strong arms held the rifle almost perfectly still. For the first time since she met him, Julia found herself admiring his physical form and as her heartbeat began to pick up, she was startled by the sound of the rifle firing. The squeaking of clown shoes that had been so loud above the growls and snarls of the infected outside their little safe space suddenly stopped.

"Bullseye." Nick breathed out, his deep voice gravelly and quiet as he lowered the rifle.

At that moment, he turned to look at the others, but his gaze met Julia's, and as Rochelle and Coach moved past him, Nick remained still, looking into the dark eyes of the redhead who found herself unable to breathe for the smallest of moments. After a tense moment between them where Ellis didn't quite know what to do, Nick broke the lingering stare and ducked his head, moving after Rochelle and Coach.

Ellis looked at Julia, who let out a long, shaky breath only to then quickly intake another. He went to touch her arm to get her moving again, only for her to startle beneath his hand. He couldn't help but wonder what that look between Julia and Nick had meant. Maybe neither of them had known what to say to the other after their argument, or maybe it meant something else.

"Jules, we have to go." He said softly, trying not to dwell on what had just happened, "Come on..."

Silently and solemnly, Julia headed out of the room towards the others, leaving a very confused and worried Ellis to follow.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please feel free to review!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ** _Left 4 Dead 2_** or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hello! I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Here we are at chapter thirteen, and I've made a small start on chapter twenty. I'll try to make sure to keep working on this as much as I can so I don't fall behind with updates. I'd like to say a special thanks to **macblur** for favouriting and following the story!

 **UnspokenTheWriter:** Oh, my goodness! Thank you so much! I was so worried that people hated this story because no-one seemed to be reviewing. I hope you continue to enjoy it and thanks for taking the time to read it all the way through, favourite, follow and review.

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Thirteen -**

The sign at the entrance to ' _Kiddieland_ ' stood out very clearly to the group of five as they passed by the fallen bodies of the zombies they'd just killed.

Ellis seemed to be very excited about the fact that they'd found a selection of rides, and really wanted to go on one but Coach said no. The distant and eerie cries of the Witch that had decided to make her presence known all of a sudden were all the more reason to move through ' _Kiddieland_ ' as quickly and quietly as possible. Walking down the pathway towards the rides, the five of them were all on edge, each of them trying to locate the biggest threat in the area, which Rochelle caught sight of sitting next to a chainlink fence to their right, right near the wall that separated this part of the area from a large slide that loomed above ' _Kiddieland_ ' almost villainously. The Witch was well out of their way, but they still didn't want to take any chances with her.

"Come on." Coach whispered, "Let's figure out the best way to go."

There were twenty to thirty infected wandering around the area, who were slowly starting to notice the group's presence as they passed through. They tried to be sparing with their ammo, leaving Ellis and Rochelle to use their fire axe and machete to take out some zombies while the others alternated between their side arms and main weapons. Spotting a safehouse marker on a nearby wall, the survivors had a moment where they felt relief and joy at potentially reaching shelter, but that relief was very quickly crushed by the sound of squeaking, pounding feet, snarls, growls and screams.

Turning to look behind them, Rochelle and Julia raised their weapons, their eyes widening in horror at the sight of infected pouring towards them with clowns dotted all the way through the massive crowd. Opening fire, their focus was to try and take out the clowns, but it was soon evident that they were about to be seriously overwhelmed. Unbeknownst to the others, Nick had lit the pipe bomb he picked up earlier, and he launched it back towards where they'd come from to get rid of the horde.

"Chase this, you zombie bastards!" He yelled, laughing triumphantly as the zombies turned on their heels and ran towards the beeping missile, which bounced along the ground, being surrounded within seconds.

As it exploded, the area fell quiet apart from the cries of the Witch, and the heavy breathing of the survivors, who were recovering from the sudden panic of being bombarded with zombies and who were feeling very relieved that the Witch to their right was still undisturbed. Finally, they began to move, deciding to check a building next to them that may have more supplies, even maybe something to drink since they were starting to get a little hungry and thirsty.

"Nick, you stay with Jules." Coach said, giving the younger man a warning glare, "We're gonna look for supplies."

Before Nick could protest, the other three had disappeared, leaving him alone with the young redhead, who was looking anywhere but at him. His gaze settled on the Witch ahead of them, who was still rocking and crying where she sat before he looked back at Julia, who was staring at the Witch with what could only be described as pity on her face. He wondered what she was thinking. He wondered if he was on her thoughts at all. That look they'd shared after the encounter with the Tank had sent his heart into overdrive. She'd been gazing at him with an almost unreadable expression and while he assumed it was actually her version of resting-bitch-face, part of him had wondered if she was looking at him the way he'd started to look at her.

"Nick?"

Her voice caught him off guard. She wasn't looking at him, but she'd spoken to him all the same. He could see the flicker of fear on her face as she took in a sharp breath, her eyes determined to be pointing in any direction but his. Nick felt somewhat satisfied that she'd been the one to break their silence first, and he pretty much knew that she was about to apologise to him, but it didn't make the moment any easier to bear. He had this horrible vision of her trying to apologise to that son of a bitch who had the audacity to call himself her boyfriend while he relentlessly beat her for whatever she'd done that he'd deemed worthy of punishment. It made him feel sick.

She never got to finish what she'd intended to say to him, because Coach and the others returned with bottles of water, celebrating their find. Ellis handed Nick a bottle, unsure of what to say to him, while Rochelle handed a bottle to Julia, who took a quick drink, her face pale and her expression blank, almost like she wasn't with them.

In truth, she wasn't fully with them. Her mind was where Nick's had been. She was remembering all those times she'd begged for mercy from Kevin, apologising over and over again while he beat her, telling her what a worthless bitch she was and how it was impossible to love her. His words to her were always so _cruel_ , and as the months rolled by, Julia had begun to believe them. Maybe she was impossible to love. Maybe that was why she'd been abandoned back at that hotel, and maybe...

"Jules? Honey?" Coach's voice dragged her back to reality, and she was met with four pairs of eyes on her, the Witch's mournful sobs returning to her ears, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She nodded, offering them a forced smile before stuffing the bottle of water hastily into her bag, "I'm coming."

What she didn't expect to see when she looked up from zipping her bag back up was Nick waiting for her while the others headed around the next corner. Her heart stopped beating for a moment as she stared at him, wondering why he'd waited for her. He knew she was unnerved by this, and as he had been a few moments before when she'd spoken first, he felt a little satisfied. She'd hurt him and he wanted her to be uncomfortable, even if only for a little while.

"Come on." He said gruffly, "We'd hate for you to fall behind."

Surprisingly, she didn't hear sarcasm in his voice at that moment. He seemed sincere and the look in his eyes didn't seem quite as angry as it had earlier. Cautiously, she stepped towards him and then past him, quickening her pace so they didn't lose the others. Nick watched her walking ahead, his gaze trailing a little further south to admire the rather cute little backside that she had, as well as the way her hips swayed in an elegant and feminine fashion as she walked. It wasn't until he caught sight of the others that he lifted his head, while Coach eyed him suspiciously from his place by an open warehouse shutter.

"You guys okay?" He asked them, earning a shy nod from Julia and a smirk from Nick.

"Oh, we're fine. How about you guys?"

Narrowing his eyes, Coach moved on into the building opposite, and Julia hastily followed him as though she couldn't wait to be away from Nick. Trying to hide the small twinge of irritation and embarrassment that this action caused, Nick rolled his eyes and shook his head, moving instead to look around the nearby area at what other supplies they could find. Another safe house marker sat on a nearby wall with an arrow pointing to ahead of them, and like the rest of them had already worked out, Nick surmised that the way around would be long and arduous rather than nice and straight-forward.

Inside the warehouse, Coach and Julia were picking up some more flashlight batteries and Julia helped herself to a baseball bat, which she knew would come in handy if she was running low on ammo. Coach watched her warily, able to see the pain and tiredness in her eyes even in the dark space.

"You doin' okay, young 'un?" He asked her, "I know you and Nick exchanged some heated words..."

"I'm okay. I just feel a little bad, I guess." Julia admitted, rubbing the back of her neck in a clear display of discomfort, "I tried to apologise back there but I just... I couldn't get the words out, y'know? I was such a bitch, and he was trying to apologise..."

"Listen, sweetheart," Coach said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't be so hard on yourself, alright? Nick's been pushin' an awful lotta buttons lately. After what you've been goin' through, childish fightin' between two grown-ass men ain't what ya ought to be exposed to."

"I'm sorry." She muttered, "Our focus should be on getting out of here in one piece... Not silly stuff like this."

Coach squeezed her shoulder once more as she zipped up her bag, and the tender, fatherly action caused her to look up into the older man's kind eyes, his mouth curving into a rather sad smile. She felt much more comfortable around him now than she had when they first met, and she knew that she could trust him and rely on him, probably for pretty much anything she needed.

"Honey... We're human beings." He said softly, "We don't stop feelin' shit just 'cause the world's come to an end. Alright?"

Taking his words as a positive sign, Julia nodded, letting out a big sigh of relief and ran her hands tiredly over her face. Coach bit his lip and decided to test the water to offer the young woman a moment of quiet and moment of calm. He carefully moved his arm around her small form and pulled her closer to him as an invitation for a hug. To his astonishment, her hands remained over her face but she stepped closer, leaning her head against the taller man's chest which then allowed him to wrap his other arm around her. The hug wasn't unwelcome to her, but in fact, it was needed, and she felt protected and cared for, which made a very nice change.

"I'm sorry." She murmured again, "I'm so tired."

"Hell, we're all tired, baby girl. We're all tired." He comforted her quietly, "Take a nice deep breath. Gather your nerve again."

She did just that. She took another deep breath, swallowed hard, and picked her rifle back up, giving Coach a much freer and more natural grin as he released her. She patted him on the back in thanks, and the two headed back to join the others, who seemed surprised at her sudden refreshed appearance. She then took the lead, with Ellis right by her side as they headed towards the building that the safe house marker was directing them to.

"You give her a pep talk or something?" Rochelle asked Coach quietly, "She seems much better."

"I think she just needed a moment of peace and quiet. Things have been pretty tense lately what with these little arguments goin' on and such." Coach knew Nick could hear him, but he didn't care, "Anyway, she's back on form now."

"We got ammo in here!" Ellis called to them, waving them towards the room, "And lots of pills."

Julia carefully handed the ammo out to people, leaving only a few stray bullets on the table as she slipped a few magazines for her M16 into her jacket pockets before heading up to the roof with Rochelle, both of them making quick work of climbing the ladder to get outside. Ellis handed Nick a bottle of pills, giving him a small smile in an attempt to ease some of the tension between them. Nick smirked and then patted him on the back, and that was just enough to reassure Ellis that the conman was trying to make more of an effort. Whether that was for Julia's sake or just the sake of the group wasn't actually that important to Ellis. The very fact that he was trying was enough.

"Guys? Are you actually coming with us or...?" Rochelle's head appeared through the hatch in the ceiling, her hands gripping the ladder in front of her so that she didn't fall back through.

"We're comin'!" Ellis called, bounding up the steps towards the ladder to follow the ladies up to the roof.

Coach gave Nick an approving smile and the pair headed after Ellis, hearing the sounds of gunfire echoing across the open space as Rochelle, Julia and Ellis crossed the roof, clearing the way with their different weapons. After climbing up more stairs, they found themselves at the top of a large, brightly coloured slide with multiple lanes so that several people could use it at once, which Ellis was determined to use to get to ground level rather than having to use the stairs.

"Come on! Can I? _Please_!" Ellis begged, clasping his hands together, "It's not like it's a real ride with lights and sounds!"

Everyone else gave the young man an amused look, crossing their arms while sharing looks with each other to see who'd cave in first. Rochelle and Coach gave Ellis the okay, and he couldn't help but jump around on the spot with excitement at the chance to actually experience a ride, even if it was just a huge slide with bumps in it.

"I'll go with you." Julia offered with a smile, looking to the others, "We'll race you to the bottom."

The pair handed the others their weapons and their bags so that they could use the slide more comfortably, and as Rochelle, Coach and Nick took a steady walk down the stairs, Ellis sat on the slide, and took Julia's hand, allowing her to sit between his legs. It was a tight fit, but Julia felt comfortable, and as Ellis' deceptively strong arms wrapped around her midsection, he started to push them towards the first dip. The sound of giggles and whoops of joy filled the ears of Nick, Coach and Rochelle as Ellis and Julia slid past, youthful joy present on both their faces as they laughed the whole way down the slide until they collapsed at the bottom in a graceless heap.

"It's fun having a day out with the kids, ain't it?" Nick joked, earning a small laugh from Rochelle.

"It's good to see them smiling though, right?" She asked, nudging him playfully as they continued down the stairs.

At the bottom of the slide, however, the laughing and smiling quickly subsided. Julia and Ellis were now sat deathly still, looking to the left of the slide where the Witch that they'd avoided earlier was sitting, now staring at them, unmoving and unblinking from the other side of the chainlink fence. They were expecting a growl or some kind of warning that she was going to attack like they'd encountered back in Savannah, but there was nothing... Just stillness and silence. And it was frightening.

"What do we do?" Julia asked in a whisper, beginning to tremble as Ellis tightened his hold around her middle.

"Just stay still..." Ellis whispered back, "Why ain't she growlin'?"

"Oh, God... I don't know..." Julia bit her lip, sure that the Witch would be able to hear her thundering pulse and racing heart.

On the stairs, Coach watched as Ellis and Julia got to their feet _very_ slowly, their eyes still fixed on the spot to their left. He knew something was wrong, as did Rochelle and Nick. Then, it occurred to them that both their youngest team members were moving to avoid the Witch they'd encountered earlier when they realised they couldn't hear her cries anymore.

When the Witch finally started to growl, Ellis and Julia felt some kind of relief since this behaviour seemed _normal_ for a Witch, but they quickly backed away from her regardless since they didn't want to set her off any more than she was already. They soon passed Rochelle, Nick and Coach as they got to the bottom of the steps, worried that the Witch's growling was going to intensify and she might attack. They beckoned their three friends to follow quickly, and the group hurried out of the growling Witch's line of sight, leaving Ellis and Julia with the opportunity to explain what had just happened.

"We got to the bottom of the slide, and she was just staring at us..." Julia said, clearly quite shaken as she was handed her bag and weapons back, "She wasn't growling or crying or anything. She was just staring. It was _so_ creepy."

"We decided to just back up before we ended up with an angry Witch on our asses." Ellis murmured, turning back to look at Julia who was rubbing her arms in a self-soothing manner, "But, hey, at least the slide was fun, right?"

Julia grinned at him broadly, nudging his arm playfully.

"Yes, Ellis. The slide was fun." She replied warmly, laughing as he pulled her briefly into a one-armed hug.

"Alright, y'all. Let's get movin'." Coach said with a kind smile, "Come on."

The five of them headed up another stairway to the left of where they were standing and checked out a room at the top of that flight of stairs only to find another good selection of ammo and some more medical supplies, which were passed around between them. Once they arrived in another area full of rides, it was apparent that their way forward was blocked, and the only way through was to quickly fire up one of the rides to open the gate leading through to the next area, where hopefully a safe room was. All the markers had been pointing in this direction, and everyone was already so tired that they couldn't wait to get barricaded into a room where they could rest for a few hours before picking up again.

"Nice fencing." Nick commented as they arrived at the carousel that was blocking their way, "Looks like a federal carousel penitentiary."

Julia snorted with a laugh, earning a surprised look from Nick which was then replaced with a smirk. He felt some satisfaction at the thought of being able to make her laugh, even when she was supposedly mad at him. He placed his hand on the switch nearby, turning back to the other four survivors with an arched eyebrow.

"Before I hit this switch, what's the plan?"

"I'll head through first." Rochelle offered.

"I'll cover you." Julia nodded at the older woman, smiling as she readied her rifle.

"This thing's gonna be loud." Coach muttered, "No dilly-dallyin'. As soon as this gate opens we need to get through this passageway so that Ro and Jules can shut down the ride again."

"Alright." Nick said quietly, his fingers curling around the switch, "Ready?"

Rochelle and Julia nodded, both taking deep breaths as Nick pulled the switch, bringing the ride to life. It took a few seconds for the sound to travel, but it hit the zombies soon enough, and with the scream of the horde, the gate had opened wide enough for Rochelle and Julia's small frames to squeeze through. They were out of sight before the men had set off after them. Nick and Ellis were shooting at oncoming infected while Coach attacked those running after them from the back, and the sounds of Rochelle's AK-47 and Julia's M-16 suddenly hit their ears, followed by yells from none other than the redhead.

"Behind you, Ro!" She was shouting, "Boomer!"

Nick and Ellis rounded the corner just in time to see both women harshly shove a large male Boomer out of the way before Rochelle shot it with her AK-47, both of them ducking out of the way of the explosion. The hungry growls, cries, screams and the pounding of feet of the infected were so loud that they could barely hear the ride now, and as Julia finally got the ride turned off, she was suddenly mobbed by infected climbing over the actual ride to get to her.

"Hang on, Jules!" Ellis cried out, "I'm comin'!"

He was suddenly taking out infected left, right and centre with his fire axe to get to the young woman, who was also trying to hit oncoming zombies with her baseball bat in an attempt to free herself. The sound of squeaking could be heard nearby along with curses from Nick who took out the oncoming clowns as quickly as possible as they sped towards the group of five from the direction of the _Tunnel of Love_.

"What in the name of fuck is with the zombie clown posse?!" The conman yelled.

"Just kill them, for God's sake!" Rochelle yelled back at him, "Take them out!"

The fight continued for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only a matter of maybe ten minutes. The quiet that followed the onslaught seemed deafening, but just as the group was approaching the safe house inside the _Tunnel of Love_ , they were attacked once again. A Charger emerged from the safe room, grabbing Coach and dragging him to the other side of the queue line before pounding him into the ground with incredible force, causing him to cry out in pain. It was at this same moment that Nick was caught by a Smoker, who was stood on a nearby building and making quick work of dragging in him away. Caught in a panic, the remaining three teammates looked at each other in horror.

"You guys get Coach!" Julia ordered, her eyes wide with terror, "I'll get Nick! Go!"

Julia quickly turned on her heel and ran towards Nick, who was now hanging in the air, his torso being painfully squeezed by the Smoker as he struggled in its hold. Aiming her gun, Julia waited until the beam was in the Smoker's face before opening fire, hearing it choke out a rasping, dying breath before it finally released Nick, who fell to the floor, gagging and gasping for air.

"Nick..." She breathed out, all her previous anger for him fading as the relief that he was safe took over, "Are you hurt?"

She moved to help him to his feet, hearing him coughing and trying to get the air back into his lungs. As he got to his feet, he looked at her with an expression of both relief and confusion, and she was looking at him with concern mixed with the relief that he wasn't hurt. It didn't take them too long, unfortunately, to be distracted by a familiar and _very_ unwelcome growling coming from behind them. Turning slowly, the pair found themselves face to face with not one, but three Hunters, who were crawling towards them slowly in an almost taunting manner. They'd never seen this many at once before and frankly, it was more than a little unsettling. Had the Hunters been following them this whole time? With the horde they'd just fought, it was possible that the Hunters could've been prowling somewhere nearby.

Without thinking, Nick grabbed Julia's arm and pulled her behind him, getting her straight out of the way of the oncoming predators. Her heart was hammering in her chest, not just because of the threat that was upon them, but because Nick's instinct had been to protect her and move her out of the way. He hadn't even realised it, but that was clearly the case and the realisation gave Julia a brief moment of relief that perhaps he wasn't too angry with her anymore either.

"What do we do?" She asked him anxiously, raising her M16, "We shoot one each and that leaves a third to attack us..."

"I dunno, just give me a second to think..." Nick murmured, his eyes wide and his grip on his sniper rifle tighter than Julia had ever seen it.

For the first time in a long time, Nick was scared. He wasn't only scared for himself but for Julia too. She'd gotten caught in the middle of this situation because she'd run to save his worthless ass for the second time since they met, and Nick knew she didn't deserve to be where she was now. He put his body in front of hers because he owed it to her. Twice now, she'd put herself in danger for him and he knew he couldn't just let her take another hit on his behalf.

Gunshots rang out suddenly, startling the cornered survivors who were suddenly overwhelmed with relief as Rochelle, Ellis and Coach arrived to kill the imminent threat. The reality of how close the two had just come to death, and the realisation that Nick was so willing to put himself in harm's way to protect her became too overpowering for Julia, who felt a lump of emotion sitting itself in her throat as she heard the last Hunter yelp, dropping dead to the floor.

Her hand moved to her abdomen due to the nausea that suddenly caught her off guard, her chest heaved as she struggled to get her breath for a second, and her head turned away from her fellow survivors as she drew her full lips into a tight line to try and stop the sob that was threatening to leave her throat. She hated crying in front of people, and she hated looking weak, but she felt so emotional that she just couldn't help it.

"Are you guys okay?" Rochelle asked, panicked.

"I think so..." Nick said, his face still wearing an expression of shock, "Thanks, guys. That was way too close, wasn't it, Jules?"

The hitched breath he got in response caused him to turn his head towards the redhead, who was now shaking almost uncontrollably. She _really_ hated Hunters, and after what she'd seen back at the hotel in Savannah, she'd found herself becoming incredibly frightened of them. They scared her more than Tanks and Witches, and those two zombies were scary enough on their own. But Hunters? They were smart, cunning, calculated, strong as hell, and completely unrelenting. To be caught by one... The thought alone was hideous enough.

"Julia?"

Nick didn't really know what to do when he realised that Julia was crying. Comforting a crying woman had never been his strength, but thankfully for him, he didn't need to worry too much about it as Rochelle stepped forward and carefully eased Julia away from him and towards the _Tunnel of Love_ where the safe room was open and waiting, murmuring words of comfort to her and gently shushing her as they went. Nick followed at the back of the group with Ellis, watching helplessly as Coach guided the tearful redhead over the queue's railings to get to the safe room.

"Nick?" Ellis' voice was deep and soft as he leant towards the older man, "Don't be mad at her no more. She's goin' through enough."

"I'm not mad at her, El." Nick said quietly, "It's okay."

Ellis gave him a warm smile and patted him on the arm, and as the two hopped over the railings to get to the safe room, they found themselves feeling rather inadequate and lost as Rochelle comforted Julia, who was trying to calm herself down while taking a large drink of water from the bottle she'd been given earlier.

Even while helping Coach barricade the door, all Nick could do was think about what he was going to say to Julia when they had a moment to themselves, and as they put the last piece of their makeshift barricade in place, he came to the conclusion that all he could do to make amends was to explain why he was as cold as she believed him to be. He knew that the task wasn't going to be easy, but he didn't care.

Maybe it was finally time to let some of his oldest skeletons out of the closet...

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone!**

 **Thanks very much for reading this so far!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hello, everyone! I'd like to start this chapter by thanking **Shin Maxwell** and **fullhouses** for favouriting this story. Thank you to everyone who's been reading so far, I do appreciate it. I just want to put a warning out there for some rather dark content this chapter, and also I just want to reassure you guys that I'm trying to work on this story as much as I can and update it as often as I can. I'm starting to publish more than actually getting the writing done, but I'm taking a week off work next week, so I intend to do a good amount of writing and increase the gaps between the chapters I'm actually publishing and the ones I'm working on. Chapter twenty is almost done, and I still have a while to go. Also, there will be a sequel to this story, which I've already started making plans for.

 **UnspokenTheWriter:** Thanks for another review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Fourteen -**

Deciding to spend the night in the _Tunnel of Love_ safe room, Coach, Rochelle and Ellis now slept surprisingly peacefully, despite their awkward positions in various places around the small safe room.

Nick had astonished everyone by offering to stay awake first, listening out for anything that could be of any imminent danger to them outside the safe room. He sat near the exit, his rifle cradled in his lap and his head leant back against the wall, his gaze fixed on an odd looking stain on the wall opposite him, which stood out considerably against the lovely deep blue colour that they'd had been painted in. He heard a shuffling beside him and saw none other than Julia approaching him, her jacket pulled tightly around herself and her eyes red and puffy from her earlier tears.

"Hi..." She whispered, offering him a tired, weak smile.

"Hey." He whispered back, "Can't sleep?"

She shook her head, her copper curls bouncing as she then ducked her head to gaze at her feet. He scooted over a little and patted the carpeted space next to him, silently offering her a seat with to him. She moved closer to him carefully and eased herself down, continuing to keep her arms wrapped around herself protectively. Nick turned his head to look at her, studying her pretty face before she ducked her head once more, her short hair obscuring it from his view.

"I never thanked you for saving my ass earlier." He said, his voice so quiet she almost couldn't hear him.

"You don't have to thank me." Julia murmured, "Although, I should be thanking you too. You protected me from those Hunters."

"Don't mention it." Nick replied, swallowing hard, "Listen, Jules..."

"I'm sorry for what I said to you when we had that fight." She said in a harsh whisper, the words coming out so fast that he struggled to understand her at first, "It was wrong of me to call you those things. If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry."

"What you said wasn't wrong." Nick answered her, causing her to look at him in surprise as he returned his gaze back to the stain on the wall opposite.

Julia didn't answer him. She could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to say something else to her. He was just trying to find the right words, and she wasn't going to make any assumptions or interrupt him. She figured that he was the kind of person who had trouble saying what he really felt unless he was angry with someone, and she knew that interrupting his thoughts could knock his confidence, which she wasn't about to do.

"Can I tell you something sort of... Personal?" Nick asked, still not looking at her.

This conversation was going to absolutely suck, and he knew it was going to reap up some horrid memories from his younger years. But, he wanted her to understand why he was the way he was, and he also wanted to reassure her that while the others might not understand what she'd gone through over the past couple of years, he did.

"Of course." Julia answered, swallowing hard as she studied his face, amazed that of all people, she was the one he trusted with anything personal, "What is it?"

"There's a reason that I come across as cold and arrogant." He began, lowering his gaze to his now dirtied dress shoes.

Julia waited patiently, which surprised him. Most people would be nagging him by this point to just spit out whatever he wanted to say, but not this sweet, gorgeous young woman who, despite him being awful to her, was showing him more consideration than another person had for a very long time. It seemed to make this confession of sorts twice as hard to make.

"You and I have one thing in common that no-one in this group knows about, and I'd appreciate it if you could keep it that way." He continued, noticing her vigorously nodding her head out of the corner of his eye, "From as early as I can remember until I was about seventeen, I spent most of my time getting the shit beaten out of me by my father. So did my mother and eventually my little sister."

He took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck which showed how uncomfortable he was at this moment in time and how hard this was for him to talk about. But, Julia still remained quiet, allowing him the time he needed to work up the courage to keep going.

"My mom used to get it the worst. And it'd take pretty much nothing to set him off. He used to call us the most shitty things you can think of and tell us how much he hated us all, no matter what we did." Nick explained, still unable to look at the redhead, "When I was a kid, I had to listen to the son of a bitch beating and raping my mother, and there was nothing I could do about it. So, when I found out that your boyfriend had been beating you, I went crazy. I know what it's like to have some asshole ruin you so much that you literally block out anyone and anything that tries to get close to you."

Julia's gaze fell to her lap, her eyes glazed with tears. She had no idea that Nick had been exposed to such horrible things as a child. It almost killed her that he had to listen to what his poor mother was going through and that he felt so powerless to stop his father from hurting her that way.

"But, I survived it. You know how?" Nick asked her, finally able to look at her as she shook her head in response, "I was twelve when my little sister was born, and when she was about three, I saw him give her the same look that he used to give my mom before he'd drag her into another room to do what he'd do her. And I swore to myself that what my so-called-father was doing to her and us was gonna stop, no matter what that took. He started hitting my little sister when she was as young as eighteen months old, and there was no way that I was gonna let him start sexually abusing her on top of everything else."

"What happened?" Julia asked, the lump in her throat now so big that she could barely speak, her big brown eyes so full of upset that Nick knew he couldn't look at them or he could potentially lose it there and then.

"I learned how to fight, and I worked out until I got big enough to kick my dad's ass. I made myself the protector in that house, and every time my dad put his hands on my mother or my sister, I gave back as good as he was giving. Eventually, the stupid fuck got himself killed while driving home from drunk from a bar he'd been at one night." He explained quietly, letting out a rather long, heavy sigh at the memories he was experiencing, "I identified his body 'cause my mom couldn't bear it. So, in the end, I survived and so did my little sister, but my mom? She didn't. She killed herself about twelve months later. He'd completely destroyed her."

Now, Julia was totally devastated for the man sitting next to her, who she could see was struggling with his own emotions after getting something so harrowing and horrific off his chest for the first time in God only knew how long. Potentially for the first time in his life. There was no point trying to hide how upset she was on his behalf. The tears in her eyes were too heavy and too thick to hide and he was probably already well aware of how upset she was.

"Nick..." She gasped, the tears finally escaping and cascading down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry..."

Nick nodded, taking a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair, which was starting to feel greasy due to the fact he hadn't been able to wash it for days. Surprisingly, the relief he felt at being able to actually tell someone about what he'd gone through as a kid was pretty amazing. A huge weight had been lifted from him, and he felt able to relax a little even though his throat was tight now with emotion.

"I told you this so you know that while the others might not have a clue about what you've been going through, I do." He said quietly, clearing his throat, "And I wanted to show you why I am the way I am. You're the only one who's got any damn patience with me."

"For what it's worth..." She began, sniffling and wiping at her eyes, "I'm sorry for what I said to you."

"Me too." Nick muttered, closing his eyes for a moment to take a deep breath as he continued to revel in the relief of being able to open up to someone.

"Have you ever talked to anyone about that before?" Julia asked, now sounding a little more in control of her emotions.

"No."

"Not even your ex-wife?"

" _God_ , no."

Julia couldn't help but smile at Nick's response to that question, especially when he chuckled afterwards as though the very notion was preposterous. He confused her so much but after their conversation, she had to admit that she was a little more reassured that there was a softer side to him. She found herself liking him more just for that. The flutter came back to her stomach again, and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to ignore the sudden racing of her heart at the notion that perhaps she was starting to feel something _more_ for him.

"Jesus Christ, I could barely trust the woman to keep her legs closed, never mind with something like that."

"So, why did you marry her then?" Julia asked, blinking the last of her tears away while Nick simply shrugged in response to her question.

"I dunno really. Call it youthful stupidity." Nick said, clearing his throat and ducking his head, "Despite the fact that I was thirty-one at the time."

Julia laughed then, quietly because of the others who were sleeping, but she giggled nonetheless, and Nick found himself chuckling with her. It felt good to laugh rather than feeling miserable or pissed off. He looked across at her, finding himself admiring her lovely brown eyes and that pretty smile that seemed to make his heart beat that little bit faster. She was looking right back at him, and unbeknownst to him, admiring him too just as he was admiring her.

* * *

When the group had awoken after a few hours of rest, they'd prepared themselves to head further into the amusement park in search of a way back to the highway. It wasn't hard for Ellis, Coach and Rochelle to notice that Nick and Julia must've made their peace during the night. They seemed much more friendly with each other than they had been the day before, and even though they weren't suddenly wanting to buddy up together, the tension that had been almost ripping the team apart the day before was no longer there. Rochelle, in particular, couldn't help but wonder if maybe Nick had grown a pair and apologised for his part in their argument. She knew that all of his 'lone ranger' attitude was bullshit, especially now since he'd found four people prepared to look out for him and even maybe lay their lives down on the line for him. She could only hope that he'd accept that eventually rather than continue to pretend that he didn't care.

"This bring back any memories, Coach?" Nick asked, "You, a cheeseburger, romance in the air?"

"Nick, I was on the football team." Coach said with a smug smirk, "Coach did just fine. Now, everyone, pay attention through here. Stay close to me."

"Define what you mean by close..." Nick said, eyeing the older man suspiciously.

Coach rolled his eyes before lifting the bar from the safe room door and carefully pushing it open. Rochelle and Julia followed closely behind him, while Nick and Ellis stayed at the back, carefully surveying the area around them. They headed down to the ride station, which had a few zombies wandering around in the water as it glittered rather prettily under the lighting ahead.

"Isn't it pretty?" Julia whispered to Ellis, "I've never been on a _Tunnel of Love_ ride before."

"What?!"

The universal cry of surprise from three out of the other four members of the group alerted the infected wandering around in the water, and they immediately sprinted towards the five survivors, only to be taken out by Julia's baseball bat, Ellis' fire axe, and Rochelle's machete. Once the zombies were dead, the group all turned back to Julia, who was now blushing a bright red colour which was visible even in the dim light of the ride. Ellis looked sympathetic, and he carefully patted Julia's shoulder in an attempt to soothe her.

"It's okay, Jules, I only ever did it once, and I didn't really like it." Ellis said, rubbing the back of his head, "The girl I was with kept tryin' to shove her hands down my pants, and I kept tryin' to tell her that I didn't put out on a first date, but she wasn't listenin'..."

"Are you shitting me?" Nick asked incredulously, "A girl basically offers it up to you on a plate on the whole ride and you turn that down?!"

"I was fifteen, Nick!" Ellis said defensively.

"Can we just...? Can we please just move on...?" Julia asked, her face now an even deeper shade of red, "Please?"

She stepped past the group and into the shallow water, which continued to sparkle despite the fact that blood from one of the infected they'd just killed was starting to steadily turn it red. Nick smirked at the fact that Julia had become so embarrassed about admitting she'd never been on a _Tunnel of Love_ ride before. Oh, if the world ever became right again, he'd take her on a _Tunnel of Love_ ride. He'd teach her to love them with very little trouble.

' _Oh, fuck me... Get those thoughts out of your brain_ now _!'_ Nick thought, feeling a surge of anxiety and anger course through him which was aimed somewhat at his teammates, ' _These assholes... Why'd I have to get caught up with these assholes? My life was going just as I liked it until now... and_ her _...'_

He looked towards Julia, who was walking ahead of him, chatting quietly to Coach. He was finding it hard to adjust to the fact that he had feelings for her. Maybe the reason this had happened was that they were both damaged and he just felt like she'd be able to relate to him. Maybe it was the simple fact that she was beautiful and that his dick just wanted to be inside someone again... _Beautiful_? Was she really beautiful? He heard her let out a sweet, quiet giggle and she shot a look over her shoulder at the others, her eyes sparkling with joy and her cheeks still a little red from her earlier embarrassment. Oh, _God_ , yes... She was beautiful.

"Shit!" Rochelle suddenly hissed out the curse as Nick came back to reality, his ears suddenly tuning into the sound of a Witch crying, and just up ahead, he could see one walking towards them, her hands over her face.

Rochelle, Ellis and Coach all rushed to the right, hiding behind some of the ride's scenery, so Nick quickly grabbed Julia's arm and dragged her off to the left, pushing her to the very back of the scenery against the dark wall, his hand over her mouth to stop her from making a sound. She stared up at him, panicky and wide-eyed, and in the dark of the area they were in, she could just make out the shape of his finger moving towards his lips to hush her, her mouth now free from his grasp.

The crying was getting closer, and with her heart still racing both from this and the fact that Nick had suddenly dragged her off into the darkness, she curled her free hand into the sleeve of his jacket, carefully moving her head to the right to peer around him, looking for the Witch. Nick was trying to control his hammering heart as he gazed at her, his eyes darkening with a sudden want for her that he'd not felt so far. They were alone, probably because he'd subconsciously wanted it to be that way, they were hidden, and they were in the dark. If he made a move and it backfired, no-one would know unless she told them, and he figured that if she rejected him, she'd be too embarrassed to tell the others what had happened.

"Julia...?" The whisper was so soft that she almost didn't hear him.

The Witch was now almost up to where the five were hiding, so Julia moved back to look at the conman, whose free hand was now resting against the small of her back. Her gaze flitted up to his slowly, her full lips parting slightly as she took in the sight of those grey-green eyes, almost half-lidded and clearly very focused on her. His hand moved to her cheek very briefly before his fingers made their way into her tangled copper locks of hair, the sensation of which caused Julia's stomach to drop, but in the most pleasant way she'd ever felt. He was getting closer to her.

 _'Oh, God... Is he going to...?'_

She didn't get a chance to finish the thought. She felt his lips brush against hers, slowly and gently, almost as though he was in two minds as to whether he should be doing so or not. The origin of the shaky sigh that accompanied this was unknown to her, but not to him. It had come from her, and out of instinct, her hand flew to his polo shirt, squeezing it in those dainty fingers of hers. Nick's hand moved to the back of her head to hold her there, just daring to test the waters a little longer since she hadn't yet responded to him. Just as he was about to pull away from her, he felt her lips press back against his.

Her heart was hammering, her legs were trembling, and her stomach dropped again, causing her to let out the softest of sounds which went straight to the conman's groin. He wanted to throw his gun to the ground and just pull her into him, but he knew he couldn't risk making too much noise as the Witch was now finally passing them by. They broke apart after holding their kiss for a few more seconds, both breathing heavily, but quietly, and their eyes locked intently on each other.

Then, reality smacked Nick in the face so hard that he almost visibly recoiled and he backed away from Julia like she had some kind of contagious disease. How could he have let himself fall into that trap? Why the fuck did he just do that? He didn't want to look at her now because he knew she'd be upset since he'd just reacted like this, but he couldn't believe he'd let himself kiss her like that. She'd kissed him in return as well, which had part of him feeling thrilled but the rest of him was freaking out. He never let _anyone_ get truly close to him, but in less than twelve hours he'd let her in and oh, _fuck_...

"Guys?"

Ellis' voice calling for them led to the two of them acting as naturally as possible. Julia was once again embarrassed, a little hurt and dejected, and ready to burst into tears, but she swallowed down the lump in her throat and smiled quite warmly, which surprised Nick to no end.

"That was close, huh?" She said with a quiet laugh, "We'd better move before she comes back our way."

She then slipped out of the way as though nothing had just happened, while Nick was still internally freaking out at the back of the group. The few infected that lingered in the ride's softly lit tunnels were taken out relatively quickly, and the journey was quiet as the group looked for a way back into the park. They soon found their way to be blocked, so they backtracked and headed into what Ellis called the ' _Swan maintenance room of love'_ , which was a space that was incredibly dark, but that led to a walkway which then took them to a well-lit room where they could scour the shelves for supplies. The pleasant atmosphere that the group had been experiencing had quickly diminished again, and no-one but Nick and Julia knew why. Nick couldn't look her in the face at all and she was starting to lose her grip on her happy exterior because she couldn't get her mind off of him and what had just happened between them.

Their kiss had been so gentle, nothing like what she expected a kiss from Nick to actually be, and she'd felt so wanted and so _happy_ in those moments that their lips touched. She felt safe, warm, elated and a whole host of lovely emotions that had now been replaced by an aching sadness and burning humiliation. Not that Nick wanted to admit it to himself, but he'd felt pretty fucking happy too. Especially when she'd started to respond to his kiss and when her fingers had gripped his polo shirt like that. He just wished that he wasn't so emotionally constipated that he could've reacted in a better way, rather than acting as though she repulsed him.

It was scary that his feelings and his personality seemed to have changed so much over a few short days. He'd met these four people completely by chance, but they'd impacted him to a point where he didn't feel like he knew himself anymore. He was angry with them for it. His life had been just as he'd liked it before they came along... Or had it? He'd been lonely, slowly falling into alcoholism, and he recalled more than one occasion where he'd felt completely fed up of living on the road like he did, or just fed up of living in general. Now that he'd let Julia in a little, he kind of didn't want to give that up. She was like a safety net to him, someone he could go to when things got too much to handle because she knew him much better now. He'd taken a gamble with her and it had paid off. She'd not only understood and listened to his story about his childhood but when he'd kissed her, she'd kissed back. She wanted him too, he could just _feel_ it. And he'd just fucked all that up by freaking out like that.

He braved a glance in her direction and happened to catch her crouched down as though searching a nearby shelving unit, but her head was bowed, and her lip was trembling. Now, he really felt like shit. He hadn't felt this guilty since he hung up on his little sister the last time they'd spoken to each other, and that had been about six years ago. He had no idea where _she_ was now, or if she as alright. Jesus H. Christ, he sucked at this kind of thing. He didn't know how to even begin forming an apology that would be good enough for Julia. Apologies had always been something he'd found stupidly hard to give.

"Anything there, Jules?" Coach asked from his place near the door.

"No. Nothing." Julia answered softly, clearing her throat before getting to her feet.

She turned around to face her fellow survivors and looked almost completely composed, but Nick could see it in her eyes. She was hurting. She was probably humiliated and feeling confused too but... The hurt was enough. It amazed Nick that despite all that was going on around them, his and Julia's biggest concerns were what had just happened between them, and what effect it might have on the team as a whole if they couldn't communicate with each other properly due to their own emotions. He laughed internally at himself. His own emotions. He hadn't been in touch properly with his emotions in way too long. It was scary, but part of it wasn't so scary. He hadn't felt scared when he was kissing her. It had felt like the right thing to do at the time.

"Let's move, people." Coach said quietly, "We need to find a way outta this damn ride."

He headed out of the room first, followed by Rochelle, Ellis and then Julia. As she passed Nick, Julia felt his hand quickly wrap around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She frankly didn't want him touching her. After everything she'd opened up to the others about and after their conversation the night before, she'd believed that maybe she'd be able to put some trust in him and that maybe she wasn't so stupid for having feelings for him. Now, she felt like a stupid little girl for even thinking he might actually want a fucked up mess like her. She made a move to pull away from him, and it worked until his fingers wrapped around her hand. She felt that familiar pang in her stomach that she'd felt the first time that Kevin had held her hand and it made her almost weep. Tearing her hand from his grasp, she headed out after the others, leaving him to follow behind, his gaze lowered and his eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Are you okay, Julia?" Rochelle was asking quietly, placing that usual motherly hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. I didn't sleep well in that safe house. It was too cramped." Julia's response was quiet but steady enough that it was believable.

"Next safehouse we get to, we'll take some more time to rest." Coach suggested, "We all need a good night's sleep."

"A bed would be great." Rochelle sighed, "And some horrible old motel bed either. A _real_ bed. With thick covers and big pillows."

"Oh, God... Don't, Ro..."

The sound that Julia's voice made as she spoke sent sparks straight to Nick's groin. The tired groan had sounded almost sultry and Jesus Christ, it had been one of the sexiest things that Nick had heard in a long time.

"You're making me sleepy." Julia finished, openly yawning in front of the others.

"Yeah, Ro, now I wanna be all curled up in a nice warm bed too." Ellis said with a groan of complaint, "A big bed too where I got plenty of room to stretch myself out."

"One of those super king beds..." Coach chipped in, "With a massage function."

"Or maybe a water bed. Those are stupidly comfortable." Nick said, hearing Rochelle laugh ahead of him.

"Some girl I went to high school with had a waterbed. Her cat stuck its claws in it while she was sleeping and it _ruined_ her bedroom floor. Her mom went crazy."

"I bet she did." Coach laughed as they entered a dark part of the maintenance area, "Well... I wonder if we can get out through this hole in the floor."

As the group of five congregated around said hole in the floor, the good mood they'd just been in, however false on Nick and Julia's part, was ruined by the sight of so many infected beneath them that the ride's floor and the surrounding area was practically invisible.

"Well..." Nick huffed, his tone full of irritation, "That's a problem..."

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **A/N No.2:** Okay, that was just my take on Nick's childhood. I would like to think he didn't come from a background so horrid, but I imagine he didn't exactly have the best upbringing given his attitue and career choice. I know it was dark and I'm sorry, but regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

 **Thanks for reading this so far!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! We're back again with a new chapter! Chapter twenty is now complete and I've started work on chapter twenty-one, so now that I have finished work until next Tuesday (for the most part), I'll have a lot more time to get more writing done and maybe even get this story completed. Anyway, I hope you guys are continuing to enjoy the story and thanks for the support so far!

 **Shin Maxwell:** Thanks so much! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **Chapter Fifteen -**

After what must've been ten minutes of debating in the darkness of the maintenance room, everyone was starting to get irritated because they weren't sure what to do about the situation beneath them, which included the humongous horde of infected wandering around in the _Tunnel of Love_ below.

"Coach, why don't you and Ellis just blast them apart with your shotguns?" Julia suggested, rubbing her forehead with her thumb, index finger and middle finger, "I mean, they cause the most widespread damage, and it's not like we're running out of ammo for you guys."

"Exactly. Just shoot at them from up here, head down when there's a gap and we'll follow you both." Rochelle said, sounding as irritated as Julia, "There isn't really much else we can do."

"Alright, alright..." Coach murmured, also rather annoyed, "Just be sure to cover our asses."

Coach and Ellis stepped towards the hole in the floor, shotguns aimed at the wandering infected underneath before opening fire at them. Bodies started to collapse within seconds, dropping like flies as round after round was fired into them from Ellis and Coach's shotguns. A sizeable gap was made in the crowd very quickly, but with visibility being so poor from where they were standing, they still didn't know quite how full the tunnel below was and there was only one way to find out. Coach dropped down first, followed by Ellis, who stumbled as he landed which surprised nobody.

"Ladies first." Nick muttered, gesturing for Julia and Rochelle to lead the way.

Rochelle headed down first, landing quite safely in the water. The sounds of gunfire filled Nick and Julia's ears, thankfully breaking the deafening silence that they'd suddenly found themselves in. Julia jumped down next, landing a little shakily and brushing her hair behind her ear before readying her rifle to go and help out. She heard Nick following behind her but didn't turn to look at him. Instead, she found herself now in a quiet ride tunnel with Coach, Rochelle and Ellis now standing around a huge pile of bodies.

"Come on, slowpokes!" Ellis laughed, "We need to keep movin'."

Julia heard Nick grumble under his breath but tried to ignore it as she set off walking to catch up with the others. She wasn't going to give him the opportunity to try and talk his way out of what he'd done to her, reeling her in like that after everything they'd told each other and then rejecting her like the very thought of her was disgusting to him. Why he'd even bothered to kiss her in the first place, she didn't know, and part of her wished he hadn't. It had awoken feelings in her that she didn't think existed for him and she was angry because of it.

They soon came to a hole in the wall, which revealed a storage room and a shutter leading back to the outside world. The five survivors made a mad dash for that shutter. Being cooped up in the _Tunnel of Love_ with the uncomfortable atmosphere that was building between them was getting on everyone's nerves. Coach, Ellis and Rochelle had no idea what had happened and why Julia and Nick's seemingly improved relationship had diminished again, but Julia's coldness towards the conman and Nick's clear inability to so much as look at her was making everyone feel awkward.

Upon stepping out from under the shutter, they found themselves staring up at their next obstacle. A huge wooden roller coaster. Everyone apart from Ellis felt frustrated. Nothing seemed simple anymore. Every attempt at getting from point A to point B involved taking the most stupid routes which had all kinds of silly obstacles to get over, or under, or through, or around, and the five survivors were getting a bit sick of it.

"It's _The Screamin' Oak_!" Ellis cried, reaching out and taking Julia by the wrist, "Come on, Jules! We gotta ride this!"

"Ellis, I'm not riding this ride when it hasn't even been tested!" Julia protested in a high pitched voice, "Please, just... Let's see how we get around this without getting ourselves mangled to death in some horrid _Final Destination_ -esque accident."

Ellis shrunk back a little from the angry, reddened face of the young woman, who seemed to be experiencing extreme feelings of irritation at this point, probably from her lack of sleep and the fact that Nick had clearly done something else to upset her, despite him asking Nick to not be like that with her anymore. He decided to just head towards the fencing surrounding the coaster with Coach and Nick to try and find a way in, while Rochelle hung back with Julia.

"Are you okay, honey?" She asked quietly, placing a gentle hand on the redhead's back.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired, and..."

"Hey, girls? We can get through here!" Coach called to them, putting the uncomfortable conversation to an end.

"Come on. We'd better go." Julia muttered, setting off towards the waiting men ahead of them.

Coach headed over a fallen piece of the chainlink fence with Ellis and Rochelle in tow, leaving the producer to look back worriedly over her shoulder as Julia and Nick were the ones left behind. They set off together, walking side by side but with Julia not looking at Nick, who was studying her face for any signs of what might be going through her head.

"Julia...?"

"Please, don't." She whispered harshly, "Just don't."

They moved over the fallen fence in silence, with Nick keeping his gaze trained in front of him this time, rather than on her. He felt so frustrated. Part of him was terrified to allow himself to get close to her, but the other part of him wanted to make amends for what happened and to try making another move. Part of him wanted that sensitive side of her to take care of him and he wanted to protect her and take care of her, and make her forget that asshole who'd broken her so badly... But, now that he'd done what he'd done? It might be impossible to repair the damage _he'd_ caused.

"What the hell is goin' on with those two?" Coach asked, crossing his arms as he leant against the coaster station wall, "They've been actin' weird around each other since we left the safe room."

Before anyone had a chance to speculate, Julia and Nick could be seen approaching, both of them reloading their weapons and paying very little attention to the other's presence. Coach explained what he and the others had planned to do, which was to open the gate to the coaster station and run the track to get to the other side of the enormous wooden structure. Now, this plan would've been fine with the others, if not for the fact that opening said gate would start the coaster and potentially set off alarms that had been installed for safety reasons. So, the conclusion that Julia and Nick quickly came to was that again, they'd have to fight off a rather large horde of zombies since the noise would probably attract anything within a quarter-mile radius.

"Nothing's ever easy, is it?" Nick deadpanned, rubbing the back of his neck, "So, how are we doin' this?"

"Just watch each other's backs, keep your eyes open for special infected, and run as fast as you can. If you see someone fallin' behind, you wait up for them." Coach said, "That applies to us all. Ellis is goin' first, I want Rochelle and Julia next, and you after. I'll run at the back."

"Oh, great. We're gonna be slowing down for you every ten seconds." Nick muttered, trying to ignore the harsh glare he received from the others, "Okay. Fine. Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

Ellis hit the button on the power box next to Coach, bouncing excitedly on the spot despite the fact that the alarm had already started to blare. The unfortunately familiar screaming of a horde could be heard over the obnoxious alarm, and as the gate opened, dozens of infected came pouring from all over the place, scaling the fences to get in at the five survivors.

"Move, now!" Nick yelled, ushering Coach in front of him, "I'll cover the back! Go!"

Thankfully, the first hill seemed to be the steepest and the worst. It took a lot of the group's energy to get up there, and everyone was trying to encourage Coach to really put his back into it considering the fact that he was finding it the hardest to get to the top due to his knee injury. Ellis could be heard at the front whooping about how he was going to fly down the hills while Coach finally stumbled, collapsing to his knees with exhaustion at the top. Nick moved to cover him while Julia turned around to get him on his feet again.

"Coach, the end of this ride has a huge chocolate cake waiting for you! With a side order of pizza!" She yelled, grunting as she struggled to get him on his feet, "Nick, help me!"

"Cover us!" Nick replied, moving to put Coach's arm around his neck and get him to his feet, "Come on, Coach! We'll look at your knee as soon as we can!"

Julia was shooting the horde following them as Nick and Coach got moving again, trying to get some painkillers for the older man while trying to support him at the same time. Rochelle and Ellis, who were now halfway towards the next hill, found themselves suddenly stopping as they realised their friends weren't behind them. They spotted the three of them emerging from the tunnel and carefully but quickly moving towards them.

Zombies were scaling as much of the track as they could now, and the five survivors found themselves suddenly overwhelmed as they caught up with each other. Coach insisted that he was okay to keep going, and while the group knew his painkillers couldn't possibly have kicked in that quickly, they chose to let him lead, using his pace as a guide for the rest of them so that no-one fell behind again. The coaster car could be heard rumbling along the tracks ahead of them, and as they passed the station where the ride came to an end, they knew that they didn't have that far to go.

"SMOKER!" Rochelle screamed, pointing to the tunnel ahead.

Julia stopped dead in her tracks, knelt down and aimed at the Smoker without hesitation, opening fire on it before it had the chance to snare anyone. Her reaction had been so quick that it had surprised everyone, even herself since she didn't ever think she could react and kill an oncoming threat that quickly. Ellis was shooting at the infected approaching from behind to cover her, while Coach and Nick were aimed in front, now taking out zombies that were approaching from the tunnel they were about to head into.

"I hate this ride!" Julia cried in a panic.

"It's normally much better than this when there ain't zombies climbin' all over it!" Ellis yelled, grabbing her hand and getting her onto her feet, "Come on!"

When they finally got to the coaster station, Rochelle rushed to the controls and stopped the coaster from running and shut the damn alarm off. Coach waited behind for her while Nick and Ellis ran ahead with Julia, who told them that there was a safe house in the next building. They were about five seconds away from the door when a female Boomer emerged, sending everyone backtracking to get out of her way as she waddled towards them. Ellis fired his shotgun at her, causing her to explode, and her lower body to start rolling towards the safe room door. As the other zombies approached, Nick hauled up the Boomer's lower half by the legs with great strength, probably due to the adrenaline that was pumping through him, and threw it at the oncoming horde and yelled out tauntingly to them.

"Chew on her instead, you fuckers!" He yelled, waiting until Coach and Rochelle managed to get inside before pulling the safe room door shut.

He used all his strength to hold it in place while Rochelle, Julia and Ellis tried to help barricade it with some benches and crates that were sitting nearby. This was clearly the ride's exit, and it looked as though some of the railings that should've been in the centre of the space mapping the way out had been removed, probably to utilise this room as a safe house for survivors. Someone had obviously been here before them, judging by the three large bales of hay which had sleeping bags sitting atop them that had been lined up against one of the far walls. A palette of water was sitting nearby along with a box of rations, both of which had been opened, and a small pile of ammo sat on a bench nearby, along with an abandoned, but dented golf club.

Coach eased himself down onto one of the crates that had clearly been used as a way to climb up onto the hay bales and started to massage his knee while Rochelle and Julia rushed to get everyone some water and food. Ellis was looking out of the door that was the exit to the safe room, spying some restrooms up ahead which the group could use if they needed the bathroom. Julia _did_ need the bathroom. She'd been dying to pee for a while, so as she announced that she was going to use the restroom, she was mortified to hear Coach order Nick to go with her.

"Ya don't have to go into the restroom with her, but at least wait outside. I'd rather us all make that kinda trip with a chaperone."

Nick and Julia shared a look of horror and resignation. They'd been avoiding talking about their little encounter in the _Tunnel of Love_ and now, they were probably going to have to talk about it. Ellis promised to keep a look out for them coming back and he opened the door for them, ushered them out, and closed it behind them again, locking it as he did so. The first few moments of the journey were silent, but as they reached the restrooms, Nick couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Jules, listen..."

"No, _you_ listen." Julia said angrily, whirling on him with surprising bravery and anger in her eyes, voice and body language, "I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing with me, but you'd better stop it. I've already been messed around enough without you doing it too."

Aware of the fact that Ellis could see them from the safe room, as Julia stormed into the dark restroom and searched for a light switch, Nick followed, determined to set the record straight with her. He was getting sick of this sudden attitude she seemed to have with him.

"I'm not playing any fucking game with you." He snapped, spotting the light switch nearby and flicking it on for her, the bright light causing them both to suddenly shield their eyes, "I know the way I handled what happened back in the _Tunnel of Love_ was pretty bad, okay? I know it was bad."

"Bad?" Julia asked with wide eyes, "You acted like kissing me was gonna give you some kind of disease!"

She wasn't yelling but her voice was coming out in a sharp, high pitched whisper, her facial expressions acting as more than enough of an indicator of how she was feeling. Nick's tongue moved around the inside of his closed mouth which was a clear sign of aggression, and Julia couldn't help but step away from him as panic began to settle in her chest at the sight of it. Any hint of aggression from another person was enough to get her so anxious that she could barely breathe.

"I was freaking out, okay?!"

The response wasn't what she'd expected, and it came out quietly but it was full of whatever mix of emotions he was feeling. Obviously, they didn't want to be too loud in case there were any infected nearby, and Nick thought he was doing pretty well to not fly off the handle right now. Julia watched him, her eyes now wide with shock and her lips parted as she let out a shaky breath, clearly not wanting to be too close to him.

"Before the world went to shit, I was totally fine! I was on my own, getting whatever money I wanted, going where I wanted, sleeping with who the fuck I wanted with no responsibilities, no-one to worry about but me!" Nick said angrily, running his hand through his hair, "I knew where I was, what I was doing and I knew _who_ I was! It was great! Then, this shit happened and you four showed up!"

He put his weapon down on the sinks nearby, leaning against the wall and running his hands over his face for a moment, trying to swallow down the heavy feeling in his chest, not to mention the lump of emotion that he was trying to fight from working its way into his throat. He was _not_ going to lose it. He hadn't cried since he'd lost his mother and he sure as hell wasn't going to start again now. No fucking way.

"I now have four people who depend on me, and who I have to depend on too." His voice seemed to have taken on a sadder tone rather than the angry tone it had earlier, "Coach, Rochelle, Ellis... I could leave those guys and within a couple of days, I'd feel fine about it... But you? I don't know if I could leave you behind and be okay with it. I don't fucking know who I am anymore."

The silence that followed was deafening, but Julia knew that she had to do or say something. His personality was changing and his morals were too; they could all see that happening to him and it must've been confusing as hell for him, but what he'd just expressed to her were feelings that he had for her. She was the only one who he'd truly miss if he left and she was the only one he'd feel bad for if he left her behind. Those words meant more to her than he knew.

Easing her way forward, Julia gingerly set her own gun down against the nearby wall while being careful to keep quiet. Nick's head was turned away from her, his mouth drawn into a tight line and his arms crossed over his chest as though trying to hide himself from her. She reached out with one of those beautifully dainty hands, placing it carefully against his right arm as she then moved to step in front of him.

"Nick..."

He still didn't look at her. He was too busy trying to keep his emotions in check. He was _not_ going to lose his shit in front of her. He _hated_ not really being able to grasp what he was feeling. It was almost like Julia made him want to be... He didn't really know... _Better_? Was that the right word? She made him want to kick his old lifestyle in the ass and maybe try and be the adult he should be. Maybe if the world got back to some state of normality, he could try dating her properly; take her out to some place for food and then maybe going out for drinks or take her for a simple walk in the park. Maybe she'd appreciate that more than him throwing himself at her in a _Tunnel of Love_ while a Witch was walking by.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, biting her lip anxiously, "I was just a little upset... When you kissed me, I didn't... I've never been kissed like that before, and I guess... I liked it... And then when you pushed me away, I didn't really know how to take it. I felt embarrassed and used..."

Nick finally moved his gaze to hers. She was blushing again. He could understand her feeling that way. He'd made this move on her in highly inappropriate circumstances and then shoved her away like it had been a mistake. She was still so young, and for all he knew, her ex had been her only boyfriend. She wouldn't have known what to make of that, and she wasn't a mind reader. She didn't know how he was feeling.

"You liked it, huh?" He quirked his eyebrow and smirked at her mischievously.

"I did." Julia replied, smiling shyly, "I... I think I like _you_ , so... Of course I liked it."

"I think I might like you too." He replied, taking a deep breath, "It's just... This shit's hard for me. I don't usually feel things like this when I'm with a woman. I sleep with women and then leave them in the morning. I don't get attached..."

"That's okay." She promised with a bright smile, her brown eyes now sparkling with what Nick thought might actually be pure joy, "Just... I don't know where we go from here."

Nick knew. He knew perfectly well. They liked each other. They'd just said as much. Even though they barely knew one another there was obviously _something_ between them, and their instincts were clearly guiding them to each other. He figured that Coach might have some comments to make about them getting distracted with each other or about the fact that it'd be harder for the other to concentrate if one of them got hurt, but Nick could easily deal with that. He just didn't know how good he'd be for _her_.

"I do." He whispered to her, moving one hand up to cup the back of her head while his other hand drew her closer, being mindful of her bruises.

He then leant closer to her as her fingers curled into his jacket, and kissed her again. All doubt he'd been feeling up to that point seemed to leave him as she returned his kiss, one of her hands moving towards the back of his neck, elegant fingers threading into his dark hair. Oh, _God_ , it felt _so_ good. She was holding him so closely and with a tenderness he'd never really experienced before. He could feel the way that she was trembling in his hold, so small, so fragile and so nervous about this, almost as though she was frightened he might change his mind.

They broke apart, their eyes still closed and their hands still on each other. Nick's heart was pounding so hard in his chest, his pulse racing as blood coursed through his veins as though it had been electrified. He remembered the last time he felt like this; his first kiss with a girl he'd wanted to be with for six months. Her name completely escaped him now, because all he could think of was Julia. And it didn't feel so bad that she was all his brain could concentrate on.

"I don't wanna label this if that's something you're not comfortable to do." Julia whispered as they broke their kiss, bringing him out of his thoughts, "But, I do want you. And I do like you. I have issues to work through too and this won't be easy for me either."

"I know." Nick answered her, opening his eyes to look at her, "We'll try, though, right?"

She took his hands in her own, squeezing them as she leant closer to him, kissing him tenderly again, this time on his cheek, which she had to lean up to do because of their height difference. Nick couldn't help but find that kind of cute.

"Yeah." Julia smiled at him warmly, "We'll try. We can keep this between us for now, if you'd prefer."

"I'd like that." Nick admitted, releasing her hands before offering her a rather sexy smirk, "So did you really need to pee or...?"

"Yes, I did." Julia said, rolling her eyes playfully, "I'll be as quick as I can. The others will be wondering where we got to."

"I'll be outside the door." Nick told her, picking up his sniper rifle from the sinks before heading outside, leaning against the outer wall.

He could hear her humming on the inside of the restroom, probably to try and cover up the sound of her peeing but it made him smile to himself nonetheless. He knew she didn't think any less of him for blurting out his feelings like some lovesick teenaged boy, and he also knew that the butterflies he had in his stomach were very real. But it was okay. He could do this, and so could she. It'd be hard for both of them given their individual issues, but for the first time, he felt pretty confident that they could make something work. The only problem now was going to be keeping it a secret from the others until they felt ready to tell them.

He heard the sound of flushing and then the water running inside the restroom. Julia emerged about a minute later with her gun, her face still coated with that rather adorable blush. They decided on the way back across to the safe room that they would be civil with each other and nothing over the top initially. They wanted to show the signs of their improved relationship slowly and they were going to avoid any kind of romantic or intimate contact with each other while the others were in earshot or in view of them. They wanted to take things at their own paces.

Upon seeing their return, Ellis quickly ushered them into the safe room, where Rochelle was applying some deep heat gel to Coach's knee. The new couple set their weapons down on the floor, accepting the food and water that Ellis handed to them before approaching their other teammates.

"You doing okay, Coach?" Nick asked, clearing his throat as he opened up his spaghetti and meat sauce _Meal Ready-to-Eat_.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Just gotta rest it for a few hours." Coach replied with a cheerful smile as Rochelle rolled down his pant leg again, "Thanks, Ro."

Rochelle washed her hands with a bottle of water before grabbing her food, and the five survivors sat down to eat together. The plan was for everyone to get a few hours of sleep, without anybody sitting up on watch, so they were going to barricade the other door to give themselves a bit of extra protection before settling on the hay bales nearby to sleep. Julia and Rochelle were given the sleeping bags to use, which they were grateful for. Jackets weren't particularly comfortable to sleep in.

Once their meals were finished, the group started moving onto the hay bales to find their own sleeping spots. Coach was asleep in very little time. Rochelle seemed to be a little more restless, but when Ellis offered her his arm as a pillow, she gratefully accepted it and they both settled quickly into sleep as well, leaving Nick and Julia awake. Julia, who had taken off her jacket to use as a pillow, was now trying to get warm. Like Rochelle, she hadn't wanted to use her sleeping bag because it had looked rather gross, so it had been abandoned on the floor, which had led to her trying her best to keep warm.

She looked across at Rochelle and Ellis only to find that already, they were curled up together, clearly to share a little body heat. The temperature had started to drop a little, but it was that kind of uncomfortable temperature that felt just a little too cold to walk around sleeveless. Julia's long-sleeved top didn't seem to be enough to keep her quite warm enough. She heard the sound of Nick moving behind her, and was suddenly met with the warmth of his body against her back, his arm carefully draping around her waist.

"Cold?" He whispered in her ear, moving her copper coloured hair out of the way to place a rather sensual kiss on the back of her neck before returning his arm back to lazily hang over her body.

"A little." She whispered back, closing her eyes at the contact before carefully reaching to briefly squeeze his hand, "Let's try to sleep."

Nick settled beside her, moving his hand out of her grasp and carefully resting it against her abdomen, his thumb carefully stroking soothing lines against the fabric of her shirt. He was trying not to hurt her since he knew her body was injured, but the fact that he was holding her was enough, for her at least.

With both of them finally feeling at peace for the first time in years, Nick and Julia listened to the steady sounds of their comrades' breathing, and slowly fell asleep.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **A/N No.2:** A get-together in a restroom! Talk about keeping it classy! I hope that was enjoyable enough for you guy, regardless of its setting, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! Thanks for continuing to stick with this story! I've noticed an increase in views which is very pleasing, and I'm also happy to see the story getting more feedback. I really do appreciate it.

 **alovelyrose:** Thanks so much for reviewing! Chapter twenty-two is in progress and we still have a good way to go, so there'll be plenty more material to read. Also, there's going to be a sequel to this story, so stay tuned for that too.

Happy reading, everyone!

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Sixteen -**

The sound of a helicopter flying over their safe room was enough to draw the five survivors out of sleep.

Everyone sat up so quickly that no-one noticed who'd been cuddled up to who and there were two people in particular who were grateful for that. At the realisation that a helicopter was flying overhead, the survivors almost fell over themselves to rush and get their gear. Everyone was rubbing the sleep from their eyes, taking drinks of water, throwing their outer layers on, reloading their weapons and almost barrelling out of the door at the realisation that someone could help them.

"We need to find a way to alert that pilot." Julia said, "We don't know how long he or she is going to search the area before they disappear again."

"I got an idea." Coach said as they set off jogging, "We need to find the stadium. Let's move."

"The stadium?" Nick asked, his brow furrowed, "Why?"

"I'll explain when we get there." Coach replied, "Now, come on..."

They moved quickly, passing through a small area with various food stalls and a _Test-Your-Strength_ game. Ellis wanted to try it out but Nick told him they didn't have time, which was true. Time was of the essence now. Coach led them through the bumper cars, and the other four followed without question, hoping that his plan, whatever that was, wasn't too crazy to work. They then found themselves in an alley-like space, which led to a large, open area which normally would've given them access to the entrance of the Stadium.

In the distance sat the enormous silhouette of a Ferris wheel, hidden slightly behind a blanket of mist which slowly seemed to be descending as the sky had started to darken. The group found it more than a little unsettling, but they were soon distracted by the growls of wandering zombies, which they took out quickly, hurrying past the bodies to look for a way into the stadium. As suspected, it wasn't going to be easy. Large chain link fences with barbed wire tops were blocking them from crawling over a simple railing nearby, meaning they'd have to find another way around.

"Oh, great. Another complicated route." Nick grumbled at the back of the group, "Fan-fucking-tastic."

"Come on, Nick. A little adventure's gonna be fun!" Ellis said happily, galloping after Coach and Rochelle.

Julia turned around to look at Nick, who quickly caught up with her, his eyes focused on the others in front of him. Somehow now, he seemed much more handsome to her, and she almost laughed when the mental image of him surrounded by a golden glow with a choir singing in the background entered her head. She knew he'd love it if he knew she'd just imagined him in such a Godly way.

"You okay, sweetie?" He asked her, glancing down at her with a smirk.

"You usually call me ' _Sweetie_ ' when you're being sarcastic." Julia said, smiling sweetly at him, "Is that not the case anymore?"

"Any pet name I give you now has nothing to do with sarcasm." He promised her with a wink, grinning even wider when she seemed to swoon at the action, "Pinkie swear."

"Shut up." She laughed, startling as she heard Coach call to them from the entrance to what looked like a barn.

"Hurry it up, y'all!"

Breaking into another jog, Julia and Nick moved to catch up with the others, while Nick found himself unable to stop his brain from wandering to thoughts of the young woman next to him, questioning why on earth someone like her would want someone like him. He couldn't stop, however, the overpowering feeling of elation that they had some shared feelings for each other. Okay, so he was still freaking out a little, but he felt happy as fuck for the first time in years like he was freer than he'd ever been. He wondered if this was how Ellis felt about Zoey when they'd met on that bridge.

"Oh, _God_..."

Julia's horrified gasp caught his attention, and he looked in the direction that she was, only to see numerous animals that were laying dead in their pens inside the barn that they'd just entered. The smell was pretty horrific. Zombies, blood and rotting animals... The scents all mixed together created this awful stench that caused everyone to cover their faces with their hands.

"Let's get out of here before someone throws up." Nick said, rushing through the barn with the others in tow to try and find an exit.

Shooting the few zombies that were stumbling around in the barns, Nick quickly found another door leading to an open space with a few tables haphazardly set out in the centre. A Molotov and a pipe bomb sat nearby, both close together as though someone had made them and then forgotten them, so they were left in the capable hands of Nick and Rochelle, who pocketed their finds with relieved looks on their faces that they had at least something to combat a horde with.

A squealing sound echoed through the room they were in, and Nick and Rochelle were suddenly confronted with the sight of a Spitter running towards them. Calling out to the others, Nick and Rochelle opened fire, unable to take the Spitter down before she spat some of her acid directly at Ellis and Julia. Ellis grabbed the twenty-one-year-old around the waist and pulled her out of the way, keeping a hold of her as the acid puddle dissolved in front of them. Nick looked worriedly in their direction, watching Julia as her face paled and her eyes closed with relief. Ellis let her go carefully, and her eyes opened to meet Nick's, full of panic and full of fear. He swallowed hard, taking a step closer to her.

"You both alright?" He asked, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I think so." Ellis laughed weakly, "That was pretty darn close though... Jules almost got a face full of that stuff."

"Thanks for saving me there, Ellis." Julia whispered, still not quite recovered from the shock, "I didn't know where to go."

"Alright, y'all, let's keep goin'." Coach said quietly, moving towards the exit of the barns.

Upon the realisation that they couldn't get out this way, Nick let out an irritated curse, not missing the way that Julia carefully touched his back in a soothing manner as she passed him. He liked that about her, he realised. She was always there to offer him a bit of support, no matter how little or how much she was able to give him. He couldn't help but feel a little comforted by her touch, which seemed both weird and wonderful to him all at once. Spotting some boxes stacked by the side of the building, Julia moved to climb them, thankful that they were sturdy, before she stepped onto the roof.

"Let's try up here. See if we can see a way to the stadium, maybe." She said, looking to the others, "Come on."

She heard the others following her as she set off moving across the roof of the barns, being careful not to stumble at the steep declines and inclines that she was having to navigate. As she reached the other side, she was relieved to see the entrance gates to the stadium, which she knew they'd have to open to get through to their destination.

"Guys!" She called out quietly, beckoning them closer, "I found the entrance!"

"Atta girl, Jules." Coach praised her warmly, "Let's take it easy climbin' down here."

While Nick and Rochelle were climbing down from the roof, Julia, Coach and Ellis were hurriedly shooting zombies in the immediate area to clear it while trying to find a way to open the gates nearby. Rochelle had already sensed a change in the atmosphere between Nick and Julia. _Something_ was different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She had been noticing some rather lengthy glances being shared between them, or one of them looking at the other with some unusual emotion going on behind their eyes, but... It wasn't what it appeared to be surely? Had something happened between them when they'd been on their own?

"We've gotta hit a switch in there." Ellis said, pointing towards a building nearby, "It'll open the gates, but it's gonna make a lotta noise."

"Coach thinks the stadium entrance is gonna be through these gates, and there's no way we can climb over them carrying all this gear." Julia added, "It's probably gonna be another coaster situation. We fight off the zombies until the gates open, then we run like hell."

"Jesus Christ." Nick groaned, running his hand over his face tiredly, "Fine. Just... Hit the damn button."

"Get on this scaffolding and off the ground." Julia said, approaching the window where the switch for the gates was sitting, "The higher we are, the more time we have to kill the zombies."

"You heard the woman." Coach said sternly, "Let's go."

Once everyone was in position, Julia took a deep breath and hit the switch before making a run for the scaffolding. The gates started to open, and it was immediately obvious from the sound of pounding feet, the angry screams and the growls, that already, infected were starting to approach them. Everyone had their own direction to face, and whenever a zombie emerged in their line of sight, they'd shoot at it. Everything was going better than expected until the gates actually opened, and what could only be described as a sea of infected emerged from the direction of the stadium.

Nick suddenly yelled that he was launching a pipe bomb, and he threw it so hard that he clearly hurt his arm, but the pipe bomb sailed behind the oncoming crowd, who turned on their heels and started to chase it. The five survivors cleared some ground between themselves and the infected, and as the bomb exploded, the entire area around where the crowd had been was covered in blood, limbs and wounded infected. Behind them, another sea of infected came, and Rochelle decided to use the Molotov to create a wall of fire between the team and the zombies, which worked like a charm.

Shooting some of the wounded as they passed them, the group rushed into the stadium, only to find a tiny safe room to their left, which they locked up as soon as they could. Breathing heavily, everyone found their own places to rest, and while Rochelle tiredly began to help Coach stock up on supplies, and Ellis quickly scoured some shelving for anything useful, Nick caught his breath by Julia, cautiously resting his hand against the small of her back before sliding it to her hip, squeezing gently in a reassuring fashion.

Julia looked up at him tiredly. She wanted to kiss him. She needed him to hold her. She felt as though he could be torn from her at any second and it frightened her. She knew she was feeling more for him with every touch and every look, and while she was nowhere near in love with the man, these first feelings of excitement and these rushes of lust and infatuation were very intense and almost overwhelming.

The look in his eyes told her that he could see what she wanted. The squeeze of her hip came again. He was promising her that they could be closer soon. Once they were safe, they could take the time to work at whatever their relationship was now at their own pace, without having to deal with the horrific shit that was all around them. Coach's voice brought the two out of their reveries and the older man took the opportunity to explain his plan to the group while trying to ignore the pounding of the infected coming from the outside of the safe room.

They were going to use the pre-programmed fireworks displays and some of the _Midnight Riders_ ' music to alert the helicopter pilot so that they could hopefully be rescued from _Whispering Oaks_ and be airlifted to safety. It sounded stupid, crazy and impossible to pull off given the size of the area that they were going to have to defend until the helicopter arrived, if it came at all, and if it didn't work, they'd all die.

"Okay... Let's do this." Rochelle murmured, lifting the bar from the safe room door, stepping out into the darkness ahead.

They arrived at a pair of bathrooms, and everyone stopped by to take a quick toilet break before then making their way to the main area of the stadium. The second that Ellis saw the large stage, his face lit up with excitement like that of a child's on Christmas morning, and he hurriedly ran through the place, hitting zombies out of the way with his fire axe as he went.

"Let's turn on the lights!" He called to them, "Coach, how about you and Ro come and help me lay out these here fuel cans and stuff?"

"Will you two be okay heading up there to look for the lights?" Coach asked Nick and Julia, who nodded in response, sharing a look with each other that caused the older man to gaze at them with some suspicion.

"Don't worry, Coach. I'll be nice to her." Nick said, putting a hand on Julia's back and ushering her towards some concrete stairs to their right, "Come on, Raggedy-Anne."

Coach and Rochelle looked at each other with puzzled expressions before turning on their heels and going to help Ellis. Indeed, something was different with those two. Coach cast one last look at them as they headed up the stairs before turning his attention to Ellis who was talking about laying the fuel cans and boxes of fireworks he'd found in various locations so that they could shoot them and set a horde on fire if they had any particularly difficult waves of infected to deal with.

Nick and Julia were steadily climbing the concrete steps towards the top, where they planned to cross in the middle and raid the first aid cabinets that were on the walls on either side of the lighting panel in the middle. The redhead turned to the former conman with a nervous look on her face, her hands gripping her M16 as tightly as she could.

"You think they suspect anything?" She asked him, biting her lip as she continued to climb to the top.

"Of course they do." Nick grumbled, "They're like nosey neighbours. You can't keep anything to yourself when you're surrounded by people like that."

"If we make it out of this alive, are we gonna tell them?" Julia asked, pleased to see that they'd finally reached the top of the steps, "I mean, they're gonna find out eventually."

"You're right." Nick murmured, "But... We don't even know what we are yet... So how are they gonna understand it? They're not, are they?"

They opened the first aid cabinet next to them, taking out the few supplies that were nestled safely in there and putting them in Nick's bag. Julia knew he was right. Rochelle would probably go into mother hen mode and start questioning her as to whether or not Nick forced himself on her or something, wondering what the hell Julia saw in him... While Coach would then be pressuring Nick about his intentions with Julia and it would make everything awkward and...

"No, they're not." Julia sighed with a grimace, rubbing her hand across her forehead, "We can't tell them."

"Cheer up, babe... It's not so bad." Nick said as they set off walking across to the other first aid cabinet, "Means we get to sneak off on our own and do bad things to each other while they all sit around wondering what the hell is going on with us."

He chuckled almost evilly.

"That sounds like the best fun we're ever gonna have out here anyway."

Julia felt herself flush at his choice of words. What exactly did he mean when he said he wanted to do bad things to her? She heard him chuckle again next to her as they opened the next first aid cabinet, taking out the supplies in there.

"I bet they're watching us right now wondering what the fuck we're talking about." He said, putting some of the supplies in Julia's bag this time, "They've probably never seen us both so chatty with each other."

They moved quietly towards the panel in the centre of the seating area, and Julia leant over it to inspect it, leaving Nick with a wonderful view of her backside which he was sorely tempted to squeeze. She brushed her hair behind her ear before carefully easing her hand over the button labelled ' _Lights_ ', quickly pressing it which lit the stage up brightly, revealing that indeed Coach, Rochelle and Ellis had been watching them.

"Told you." Nick smirked as Julia stood up, "Let's get back down there."

Once they were back at the stage, they found Ellis looking at the sound panel to the right of them, while Rochelle was laying out another box of fireworks next to a gas canister nearby. Coach relayed the plan to Nick and Julia, which was that they'd each cover a part of the stage, and they'd each have a pipe bomb or a Molotov, as they'd found several nearby. Julia was assigned as the person who'd save her pipe bomb until the helicopter arrived... If it arrived. She'd use it to distract the horde away from them and the chopper to allow them the time they needed to escape.

"We all ready to go?" Rochelle asked, earning a nod from the others before signalling Ellis, who started the finale sequence on the sound equipment nearby.

The sound of the _Midnight Riders_ started to blare through the stadium and a stream of fireworks emerged from the edges of the stage, causing Rochelle to quickly step back away from them. The first infected came from the right, where Julia and Nick were standing. Being careful not to waste their ammo, the group were aiming for the fuel cans and fireworks that had been set in place to keep the infected at bay. Nick used the scope on his rifle to shoot a fuel canister near the entrance that they'd just come from, and the fire immediately spread to the box of fireworks which immediately exploded in an array of colours, taking out several infected trying to get around the flames.

The high pitched gibbering of a Charger came from the left, which Coach and Ellis quickly turned their attention to. It ran at the group of five, bowling over Coach and Ellis before latching onto Rochelle and sprinting off the stage and towards the concrete stairs with her. Julia was off the stage in a flash to go and help her friend, unloading round after round into the Charger's back before it fell dead, releasing Rochelle from its clutches.

"Ro!" Julia gasped, moving to help the injured woman to her feet, "Get up! Come on!"

Struggling to her feet, Rochelle watched as Julia hit zombies away with her gun before opening fire on them, shredding them with her M16. Once Rochelle was up, she was able to help shoot, but the Charger had winded her, and she felt pretty desperate to have a moment to rest. Julia led her back towards the stage as Nick tried to offer them some cover, and she sat Rochelle down, rummaging around in her bag for some painkillers.

"In case you need them." She said, panting for breath, "Rest a minute."

Standing close to the producer, Julia tried to protect her from any oncoming infected while Rochelle recovered, and thankfully, the older woman was back on her feet within a few minutes. It was obvious that she was hurting, and that the Charger had done some damage to her, but it was thankfully very clear that it wasn't anything serious. Infected now started to come from the left near Ellis and Coach, and the front as well, rushing down the concrete stairs towards them and even falling over themselves in an attempt to get to their prey.

Julia decided to aim for each gas canister, and after a few misses with each one, she managed to set all three of the remaining canisters on fire. The area was now completely aflame with fireworks going off all over the place. If that chopper pilot missed this, he or she had to be blind or stupid. The smell of blood, burning flesh and smoke was overwhelming and sickening, but the group pressed on, trying to ignore the stomach-churning scents as they became desperate to defend themselves.

The horde seemed to die down for a few moments, and as the group looked into the sky, they saw the helicopter pass over them, hoping to God that the pilot had seen them. Their moments of calm as the music still played were suddenly interrupted by a roar, and to the upper right of the stadium's seating, a Tank landed on the ground, beating its chest and screaming into the night air.

It started to hurtle towards the group, who were already trying to shoot at it, while Ellis launched a Molotov at it, setting it alight. The Tank suddenly tore up a slab of concrete from the seating area and launched it right at the survivors on the stage. Everyone managed to duck out of the way, except Julia, who was suddenly hit by the concrete and thrown back so hard that she flew off of the stage, the concrete landing on top of her. The pained cry that she released upon impact came out hoarse and panicked, and it was followed by small whimpers and groans of pain. Now, they had two injured teammates, and this Tank wasn't letting up.

Nick wanted to go to Julia, but he knew that with Rochelle hurt, he'd need to help kill the Tank before anything else could go wrong. Thankfully, it collapsed dead within about thirty seconds of this, and Nick was free to go and help Julia, who was lying on the ground, her right arm clutching at her middle with her face buried in her left arm, the concrete still partially on top of her. Jumping down to help her, he carefully placed a hand on the exposed part of her back, which caused her to let out a shocked gasp. The sound of the helicopter came again, this time much closer, and Nick looked up to see the chopper pilot coming into land close to the stairs they'd passed under when they'd first arrived in the stadium. Their plan had worked.

"Coach!" Nick yelled desperately, "Help me get this concrete off of her!"

Coach turned to Ellis who was trying to support Rochelle, his eyes full of concern as he handed the young man the pipe bomb that he had in his pocket. Ellis knew that it was now his job to distract the zombies and give them a chance to get Julia to safety. Ellis nodded without needing any instruction and started to help Rochelle from the stage, jogging with her across to where the helicopter was now waiting. Coach moved to help Nick, and between them, they lifted the concrete from Julia's body, hearing her groaning in pain. Nick didn't even wait for Coach to volunteer himself. He picked her up, holding her close to his chest while Coach took the young woman's bag and rifle, adding to his own load before breaking into a run, trying to offer Nick and Julia some cover.

"It's okay, sweetheart." Nick murmured in her ear, "We've got you."

"Guys, come on!" Ellis yelled, trying to offer some more covering fire as zombies started pouring in from the area above him, "Oh, shit..."

"Ellis!" Coach shouted, "Use that damn pipe bomb!"

Ellis did as asked, and as Nick and Coach finally reached the chopper with Julia still tightly held in Nick's arms, Ellis helped them inside, where Rochelle was now resting in one of the seats with her arm held across her midriff. It was likely that the attack from the Charger had caused her some damage to her ribs, and once everyone was on board, they closed the door of the chopper and Ellis moved to sit with her, while Coach tried to check her over.

Julia was still with Nick, her brow creased with her beautiful face twisted in pain as he sat down in one of the seats with her. While the others were busy with Rochelle, Nick took the opportunity to press a kiss to Julia's forehead, which now had gained a small bruise that sat above her left eyebrow. He told her that they'd been saved and that the helicopter was flying them out of there, and he saw her smile weakly in response, only to then bury her head further into his jacket and polo shirt, her eyes still closed.

Coach took a seat next to him, moving to carefully lift Julia's shirt to check her injuries. Nick was watching him like a hawk to make sure he didn't lift the shirt any higher than the underwire of her bra, and thankfully, he didn't. Nick felt himself sag a little with relief that she was still able to maintain some dignity. Coach was just pressing his fingers against Julia's ribs to try and inspect the damage, causing her to let out a pained groan, her fingers tightening as she gripped onto Nick's jacket.

"I'm sorry, honey." Coach's voice was loud as he tried to make himself heard over the roar of the helicopter, "I just need to make sure you're not seriously hurt."

After a few more minutes of inspection, Coach leant towards Nick, easing Julia's shirt back over her torso.

"Both girls have bruised or broken ribs. They're gonna need to be popping pills for the next few days to cope with the pain." He said, "Let's hope that CEDA's stocked up with some good painkillers."

Turning his head to look out of the helicopter's window, Nick tried to focus on the clouds, keeping a hold of Julia, whose hand had fallen from his polo and now rested against his stomach, her breathing evening out as though she'd fallen asleep. Nick didn't want to disturb her, but he noticed Coach carefully lifting her legs to sit on his so that they weren't awkwardly dangling as they had been. Nick could now hold her properly and securely, and as he did so, he looked up at Rochelle and Ellis who were both falling asleep as well.

"Get some shut-eye, Nick." Coach told him, "It's gonna be a few hours between here and New Orleans at the very least."

With that, the older man leant back in his seat, closing his eyes to let the exhaustion take over to hopefully get some sleep. With everyone else's eyes closed and not on him, Nick took a second opportunity to kiss Julia's forehead once more, running his fingers gently through her hair before leaning back himself to hopefully get some rest before they arrived in New Orleans.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks so much for continuing to read this!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hello, everyone! I'm sorry it's been a couple of days since my last update. I'm trying to get into the writing process properly again and I'm hoping to actually get the story almost, if not completely finished this week. Chapter twenty-two has been completed this evening so I'll start on chapter twenty-three tomorrow. I hope you're all enjoying this so far.

 **Guest:** Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you continue to do so.

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Seventeen -**

Sometimes, just when things seem to be going so well, something will happen that literally tears any hope you ever had into pieces.

After one stop for refuelling, the five survivors and their pilot were back in the air, heading for Louisiana. They were passing over a swampy area when it happened. Everyone had just been awakening from another short nap when the pilot had suddenly thrown up all over himself, and _turned_ while he was flying the chopper. He'd started climbing towards the others in the back when Nick had pulled out his Magnum and blown his head off. That left the five survivors in a very dangerous situation. Rochelle had gone to the controls, despite her injuries, to try and find any way of landing the chopper so that if it crashed, it didn't blow up and kill them all.

Fortunately for them, she'd managed to make it land in such a way that a crash wouldn't have been devastating enough to seriously injure anyone, but the downside was that the chopper had crashed in an area where there was only one derelict house and then a crashed train ahead of them. They had no idea where they were, what time it was or if there was anything like a safe house or somewhere safe nearby to stay overnight. Julia's torso was still causing her a lot of pain, and while some of her bruises had healed over the past couple of days, a lot of them were still rather fresh, and she was now finding it harder to keep moving because of her injured ribs. Rochelle's rib injuries had also been aggravated due to the crash, so she and Julia were kept in the middle while the men formed a protective wall around them.

Ellis had a gash above his right eyebrow that needed looking at when they got to safety, Nick had a small cut near his left temple, and Coach, amazingly, had only escaped with a minor scrape on his left arm. The women had both been given more pain pills before they'd set off walking towards the train car, but it was clear that they were both in a lot of pain.

Passing through the crashed train car, which had a few rolled up sleeping bags inside that the girls offered to carry, the five survivors were confronted with a well-lit gas station and a big sign on the fencing surrounding it which said:

' _NO CEDA. NO MILITARY. STAY OUT.'_

"Oh, 'cause that's reassuring." Nick grumbled, spotting the gas station's convenience store, "I wonder if there's any way into that store... Might make a good place to stay for the night."

"We could just use the train car." Coach suggested.

"No. I'm not sleeping in there." Julia protested, "It's too dark and too claustrophobic."

Ellis, who helped Julia take a seat on the edge of the train car when she felt the need to rest, had a feeling that all five of them trying to fit in that train car probably wasn't the best idea, and he knew that if there was a way into that store, there'd be more supplies and more space. It looked secure enough.

"I agree with Nick." He said quietly, "Ro and Jules are hurt. We can't sleep in this train car... If we get attacked by somethin' there ain't much time to get out, and with them hurt, they're slower..."

"Alright." Coach replied with a nod, "Okay... Nick and I will go and check out the store to see if we can find a way in. Ellis, you stay with Ro and Jules. We'll be right back."

"You'd better take care of 'em, Ellis." Nick warned the younger man, casting one last look at Julia, who was hunched over in pain before setting off towards the store with Coach.

The two men walked in silence for a few moments until Coach saw Nick looking over his shoulder at their three friends, who were waiting by the train car, both women sitting and Ellis stood but on alert, listening and looking out for anything unusual.

"Ellis is gonna take care of 'em, Nick." Coach said soothingly, "Them girls are gonna be just fine."

The men found a door to the left of the building that was, to their astonishment, unlocked. Pushing the door open carefully, Nick stepped inside to scout out the place, while Coach stood on guard outside. Nick felt relieved. It was plenty big enough for all five of them, with space for them to have privacy due to the shelving units breaking the store up, and it was attached to a rather big garage which Nick thought they might have access to from the back of the store somewhere. Either way, the place was empty, and there were plenty of things that they could use to barricade the door with. The lighting still worked, the beer refrigerator still worked, and after a quick sweep of the building he found out that the bathrooms were working too, which meant that the group could probably have a sponge bath each, even if it was a cold one.

Once he was able to tell Coach that the area was clear, the two headed back over to the boxcar to retrieve their friends. Ellis supported Julia across to the convenience store, which neither she or Nick wanted, but it kept the others from growing too suspicious about their current situation which made things easier for the time being.

Using some of the supplies that they'd picked up back in the mall in Savannah, Julia and Rochelle went and took their sponge baths first. Julia took the ladies' bathroom while Rochelle went in the men's and both were in there for a while since they took the opportunity to shave for the first time in days, which felt pretty fantastic. Dressing in their original outfits, they tried to clean up their newer ones, and then hung them over the stalls to dry.

Nick and Ellis went next and also changed their clothes, but this time, Nick left his suit jacket in the bag and instead, rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, deciding to only use his suit jacket if it got cold. Then, after applying some deep heat gel to both Rochelle and Julia's torsos, Coach went to use the bathroom himself, returning in his purple and yellow polo, and his lighter coloured pants. Despite their efforts to clean their clothes, they doubted that they'd ever be able to get them back to the states of cleanliness that they'd like to.

When they returned from the restrooms, Nick headed over to the girls with a beer in each hand, and both took them thankfully, taking a sip of the cold liquid. They'd all decided to sit in the middle of the store together to eat and hang out for a while, but when it came to sleeping arrangements, Coach was going to be near the back next to the beer refrigerator, Ellis was going to sleep near the doors to the restrooms, Rochelle was going to sleep opposite him in an aisle full of potato chips and other snacks, while Nick and Julia were going to sleep in the storeroom, where Nick had found the entrance to the building in the first place and which was shielded from the view of the others by a thick fabric curtain.

Their excuse was that Nick would probably sleep lightly, so if anything tried to get in through the door, he'd be the first to know, and Julia would be his back up if there was an emergency. Nick had said that since everyone had been through so much and since their journey had been so tiring, they needed a good amount of sleep before progressing any further, and they decided that no-one would be taking watch.

Every window had been boarded up within an inch of its life, as had the main entrance, so the others weren't concerned. Despite this, though, Coach and Rochelle once again became a little suspicious as to why Nick and Julia were spending so much time together. Ellis seemed oblivious and was just grateful that finally, Nick and Julia seemed to be making an effort to get on with each other.

Once everyone had eaten, Julia excused herself to the back room, taking her sleeping bag with her. Rochelle then announced that she also wanted to sleep, and this then led the guys to call it a night too. Ellis settled near the bathroom doors Coach disappeared behind the shelving near the refrigerators and Nick set off towards the storeroom, a sudden feeling of anxiety settling into his chest. Now he and Julia would be alone, undisturbed, not feeling pushed for time or feeling obligated to return to the others. They'd be able to be together almost freely... And while Nick realised that sex wasn't going to happen and that probably very little intimate interaction was going to happen due to Julia's injuries, he did know that this time together may involve them getting to know one another more. It may involve some physical contact that might drive him to want more from her. He remembered suddenly that he was dealing with a victim of horrific domestic abuse. What if her boyfriend had treated her the same way that Nick's father had treated his mother? What if Julia would have difficulties when it came to any kind of sexual relationship?

' _And why in the name of fuck are you overthinking this so much?!'_ He thought to himself angrily, ' _Jesus Christ, it's not like you're fifteen. You're thirty-fucking-five. You shouldn't be freaking out like this!'_

Now, he was at the curtain, and as he gently pulled it back to walk into the surprisingly large storeroom, he found a small battery powered lantern sitting in the far corner, casting the form of Julia in a warm glow as she was knelt on the floor trying to arrange the sleeping bag. It was a large one, one big enough to fit both him and her inside of it if they were pressed tightly together. With a gasp of pain, she hunched forward, almost losing her balance.

"Hey..." He whispered, approaching her and kneeling down to help her, "Take it easy."

She looked up at him with those pretty eyes of hers, her lips curving into a pained smile. He finished arranging the sleeping bag for her and then helped her to sit against a nearby shelving unit where he joined her, kicking off his dress shoes. Julia went to remove her boots but struggled due to her injuries, so Nick carefully took them off for her, earning a whisper of thanks from her and a gentle caress of his face, which he hadn't expected.

He moved towards her again slowly, as though one wrong move would send her flying across the room, and he sat beside her, turning his head to look at her. She looked so tired. It was obvious that this whole situation was taking its toll on her, probably mentally more than it was physically.

"You need to sleep, sweetie." He told her quietly, "You look exhausted."

"I don't wanna sleep yet." She whispered, leaning against his shoulder.

"Why?" He asked, taking that movement from her as a cue to put his arm around her.

The second his arm curled around her, she felt relaxed. It was amazing to her that someone who was probably the type of person she'd avoid like the plague before the world ended could make her feel so safe. But, she really did feel safe in his arms like this. He was strong, he was brave, and he'd proved himself to be dependable and even trustworthy. She sighed contentedly as he seemed to tighten his hold on her, despite the fact that it hurt a little, and she pressed her lips to his neck in an innocent, but in Nick's head, totally alluring way, before settling against him once more.

"I just want this for a while." She murmured, curling further into him, "This feels safe. And I wanna feel safe, even if I can only feel safe for a short time."

"I make you feel safe, huh?" Nick whispered, moving his other arm around to secure her petite frame to him.

' _I damn well shouldn't_.' He thought bitterly, ' _You shouldn't want to trust me as far as you can throw me... Yet, here you are_.'

"Yes." She whispered softly in return, "You do."

He moved to look at her, and she lifted her head to look at him, their eyes meeting and locking in a long gaze. The warm, soft glow of the lamp beside them made them feel comfortable and cosy in their own space, with that thick curtain separating them from the others. Nick brushed a lock of her copper-coloured hair out of her face, cupped her face with his fingers curling gently around the back of her head, and then he leant closer to her, pressing his lips to hers.

Julia felt a wonderful, electrifying jolt strike through her body at the contact, her hand immediately moving to the back of his shoulder. She gripped him tightly with those dainty fingers, the intensity of the feelings she was experiencing growing even more as he moved his mouth against hers slowly. She wasn't used to this type of kiss. She was used to rough, awkward, bruising, painful kisses that weren't enjoyable, pleasant or coordinated. And funnily enough, Nick wasn't used to this type of kiss either. He was used to the rough, heated, messy kisses that came with the consumption of a lot of alcohol, the neediness of whichever woman he'd scored with and with the lack of coordination that you could expect from people who've never kissed each other before.

This time, things were slow, movements were experimental, touches were gentle and dare they think it, _loving_. Julia touched him with such tenderness that it almost made him pull away from her out of a pure inability to deal with it. He was so used to harsh groping, biting, the scratching of long, fake nails and the quick sliding of hands all over him as whichever woman he was with tried to feel all of him at once. But, Julia was slow, unsure, even a little anxious, and it was adorable. It was new. And Nick found that he liked it.

When they parted, they were both breathless, but it felt good. He wanted her so badly right now. He could just put her on that sleeping bag and fuck her senseless if he wanted to. He knew how to charm women into bed well enough, but he wasn't going to do that to her. She'd been through so much already, and he didn't want to wreck whatever this was by trying to pressure her. He'd simply have to learn to be patient.

Julia, on the other hand, while feeling very nervous and unsure, wanted to have a little more contact with him than just kissing. Yeah, she wasn't going to just let him have his way with her but she didn't see any harm in showing a little skin. It wasn't as if Nick hadn't seen her badly battered body already. She doubted it'd be a shock to him, and skin to skin contact was something she felt like she needed.

She felt him tugging gently on the zip of her hoodie, his eyes silently asking her if this was okay. She told him it was without a word, just a nod, and Nick continued to unzip the apple-green jacket while dipping his head to drop a kiss to her temple, her eyes closing in response. She swallowed hard, feeling his hand slip underneath the jacket as he then squeezed her hip gently which sent another jolt through her body.

He heard a quaking sigh near his ear, and it sent a thrill rushing through him that he hadn't experienced before. She seemed so inexperienced... Maybe her ex-boyfriend hadn't ever focused on her in the bedroom before. Maybe it had all been about him and she was experiencing the attention being on her for the first time.

Easing the jacket away from her arms, Nick pressed another kiss to her cheek this time, almost grinning when he felt her tilt her head, leaning into the kiss he'd given her. She helped him get her arms out of the jacket when it got caught at her wrists, and they set it on the floor behind her.

"This isn't comfortable." She murmured, "The floor... Sitting like this is hurting my back."

Nick smirked at her and moved towards the sleeping bag, beckoning her to follow him. It was more comfortable than the floor, and Nick had an idea as to how to keep her back from hurting. As she came closer, he couldn't help but notice her bruised arms which looked worse than they actually were in the dim light. He knew he had to be careful with her, not only so that he didn't hurt her physically but so that he didn't scare her off. He'd finally made some progress with her and he wasn't prepared to go back to square one.

"C'mere..." He whispered, leaning back against the wall that the sleeping bag was laid out next to, stretching his legs out in front of him.

She seemed to understand what he was asking her to do. She wasn't uncomfortable with what he wanted at all, and she made sure to let him know that she wasn't by climbing straight into his lap, straddling him carefully before tentatively leaning down to kiss him again. She didn't care that she knew very little about him. She didn't care that he was fourteen years her senior. She didn't even care that he'd done some really bad things in his past. She wanted him so badly...

She cupped his face in both hands, shivering with delight as she felt his left hand cradle her lower back and his right move to hold the back of her head. Her heart was hammering. He was being so gentle and it was the last thing she'd expected. She'd expected him to be taking the lead and for their kisses and touches to be rough, fast and heated, but they weren't. It seemed almost as if he was giving her control. She was grateful for that. After eighteen months of not being given a choice about any intimate contact she shared with Kevin, having this freedom with Nick was more than wonderful.

Breaking their kiss, Nick ran his hands under Julia's t-shirt, being sure to touch her gently so as not to hurt her while he moved to kiss her neck. Everything was still being done very slowly. He wanted to make sure she knew that there was no rush and no pressure. He didn't know how to talk about this with her, so he hoped that his actions were enough to get the message across. He heard that wonderful sigh again, feeling her tilt her head away from him to give him better access to her skin. He smiled against her neck as he felt her fingers against the buttons of his blue shirt, and as she steadily started to unfasten them, he slowly began to lift her t-shirt. She stilled briefly, hesitant all of a sudden. Anxiety seemed to grip her out of nowhere.

' _Don't let it beat you..._ ' She thought to herself, ' _You're safe... He's being gentle with you. Don't stop now._ '

"Julia?" Nick's voice came out as a very quiet whisper, almost inaudible, "You okay?"

She smiled shyly, nodding in response as she swallowed hard to try and rid herself of her sudden nervousness. She continued to unfasten the buttons of his shirt which gave him the indication that he could continue to remove her t-shirt. As he lifted it past her bra, she stopped unfastening his shirt to lift her arms so that he could remove her t-shirt properly. Regardless of the pain she felt in her torso when she stretched, she allowed him to remove her t-shirt, leaving her bare skin on show for him to see. She instinctively moved to cover herself with her arms, both because the air was a little cold, but also because of her battered body. She knew he'd already seen it but...

His fingers gently brushed against her face. It was an attempt at comfort, she knew that. She knew that if anyone could understand what she was feeling right now it was him. He'd been through what she'd been through. She smiled weakly, not wanting to look at him at that moment, but instead trying to focus on getting her confidence back. She felt him take her hands in his own and bring them back to his shirt again before moving his own to rest on her waist and hips.

She found unbuttoning his shirt to be a good distraction from the anxiety and self-conscious thoughts she was experiencing. He moved to kiss her neck again which also proved to be a rather brilliant distraction, and as the last button of his shirt was unfastened, she started to push it off his shoulders. When it was removed, it was placed on top of her t-shirt which had been dropped just behind her, and he allowed her a couple of minutes to adjust to seeing him topless for the first time.

Her pupils seemed to dilate as she looked at his naked chest for the first time, which caused Nick to arch an eyebrow. She placed a hand against his chest, savouring the warmth she felt when she splayed her fingers against his chest hair. It was thick, but not overly so, dark and attractive as hell. There was a thick line of hair that ran down his torso and it thinned out as it grew towards the outer edges of his stomach, leaving it looking surprisingly neat. She wondered if he groomed it or if it grew naturally like that. It was unbelievably sexy. He did have the odd scar, only a couple and not glaringly obvious, but they made him seem more attractive to her.

"Like what you see?" He whispered huskily, running his hands up and down her small waist gently.

Julia nodded shyly, brushing her fingers against his toned stomach. He wasn't incredibly muscular, but she could tell he used to be in pretty good shape. Well, he still was in pretty good shape. He couldn't help but smile back at her as her lips curved up into a sweet grin. She was so _not_ his type and he was certain that he wasn't her type, but here they were. This time that they were sharing on their own, distracting themselves from the horror of the world outside their room wasn't to be wasted. They knew that.

Deciding to test the water, Nick started to move them, being careful of her injuries as he leant forward to kiss her again. By this point with any other woman, he'd probably have his tongue down her throat and his fingers in her underwear, but not with Julia. She seemed to feel vulnerable enough with just her jacket and t-shirt off, and given the severity of her bruises, he could understand that so he was going to take it slow, and if she wanted him to stop, he'd stop. It was so strange to be with someone so shy and so unsure.

He noticed how light she was as he slowly started to ease her onto her back, pausing momentarily to grab her hoodie so she could use it as a pillow. She was thin, and her frame was small to a point where she virtually disappeared underneath him, but despite this, her body itself was pretty darn attractive. He'd half expected her to be rather flat-chested, and yes, while her breasts weren't enormous, they weren't tiny either. He reckoned they'd fit almost perfectly in his hands, and that was enough. Not that it really mattered in the grand scheme of things anyway.

Setting her down carefully, Nick kept his arm around her, using it as support for himself as he lowered his hips to hers in an experimental movement. The denim of her jeans caused some restriction where she probably couldn't fully feel him grind against her but she'd clearly felt _something_. She broke their kiss and took in a breath, quietly and quickly, her brow furrowing for the slightest moment as though she'd been hit with some intense feeling that she'd never experienced before. Her hands were slowly trailing up and down his back, his sides, his shoulders, and it was both soothing and encouraging. She must've been able to sense his slight anxiety about this too.

After a few more minutes of slow kisses, touching and even a little grinding, Nick wondered if he could maybe take things a little further. It felt right to do it, the mood felt okay and Julia didn't seem to have any problem with what he was doing so far. However, the second his hand touched the button of her jeans, her hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Wait..." She whispered, "Just... Wait a second..."

The reason that she'd stopped him was that there was a part of her that she wasn't sure she was ready for him to see. She knew deep down that she'd eventually have to let him see, but it seemed too much for her to deal with at that moment in time. So much was happening at once. She'd gone from being terrified of this guy to developing romantic feelings for him and now she was in his arms, making out with him.

Thankfully for her, Nick took his hand away from her jeans, moving it instead to brush some of her hair out of her face. He didn't say anything, probably because he didn't really know what to say to her. The first time he'd experienced this kind of nervousness was with one of his high school girlfriends and he hadn't exactly handled it well. So, he kept his mouth shut, rather than risking saying something that might anger or upset her.

"It's not you..." She said softly, her eyes sparkling with what he hoped weren't tears since he didn't know if he could handle it if she started to cry, "There's... There's something that I'm not ready to show you yet."

"That's okay." Nick promised her, "I know this ain't gonna be easy for either of us, so... We can stop if you want to. It's okay if you wanna wait."

Julia was stunned. She hadn't expected him to be so understanding about it, but she was grateful that he was. She didn't want to stop completely, but she didn't want to take this any further. Not until she'd had some time to prepare herself for the inevitable. She kissed him again softly, murmuring an apology against his lips. He seemed totally fine with it, and he _was_ fine with it. He was a lot of things, but he wasn't one of those dicks who'd get angry with their date or girlfriend for not putting out. If she needed time, he'd give her time. Even if he didn't fully trust that they had a lot of time left.

A shuffling from the other room caused them both to startle, looking at each other warily as if to decide whether or not they needed to put their shirts back on. Then, Nick started to feel pissed off. So what if the others found them curled up together half naked? It wasn't any of their damn business anyway, and after the contact that he and Julia had just shared, it was clearer to both of them what this thing was between them. While he still didn't want to give it a label, it certainly wasn't just something casual.

When he saw Julia reaching for her shirt, he took a hold of her arm, drawing it back towards her body before moving to hold her hand. She could tell by the way his fingers gripped and released her hand experimentally for a few seconds that he wasn't actually quite sure what he was doing, but at least he was trying, and she found herself arranging their fingers so that they interlocked rather than him just groping at her hand a little.

"We can stay as we are if you want." He whispered, "Who cares if they find us together in the morning? It's none of their business."

"You're right, it isn't." Julia murmured, "And we can just tell the truth. We can tell them that we like each other, but we're taking things at our own pace because we're not exactly sure where this is going."

"And if they don't like it, fuck 'em." Nick said, smiling as she leant up to kiss him again.

They both moved to get inside the sleeping bag. It was big enough for both to get inside, but it wouldn't fasten around them, so Nick used his suit jacket and shirt to cover his back so that he wasn't too cold. He pulled Julia closer to him, her bra-clad chest pressing against his bare one, her left arm wrapping around him while her right arm was bent and was tucked between them.

"You're really willing to wait for me?" She asked him suddenly, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Yeah." Nick said with a grin, "Let's face it, I'm the only fuckable one here. You'll give in, sooner or later."

She smirked at him, rolling her eyes playfully before tucking her head under his chin. He felt her shiver briefly, so he pulled her closer to him and started to gently rub her back to try and warm her. After about five minutes of this, he heard and felt her breathing even out, and he knew that she'd fallen asleep.

Pressing one final kiss to the crown of her head, Nick closed his eyes, hoping that maybe he'd be able to get some sleep.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading this so far and for continuing to support me!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ** _Left 4 Dead 2_** or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I hope you're all continuing to enjoy this story so far. I'm so thankful to all of you for supporting me so far. I really do appreciate it. Chapter twenty-four is now in progress, and I'm not sure that we actually have that far to go from there before the end of the story. Or maybe we do. Who knows? Anyway, I really hope you all like this chapter and I hope that when I get around to releasing the sequel which may come out a considerable amount of time after this ends, that you enjoy that too. I'll give more details about that when we're on the final chapter of this story.

Happy reading!

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Eighteen -**

Nick awoke a few hours later to find Julia still sleeping in his arms, peaceful and serene.

He studied her for a moment, her full lips parted slightly as she released slow and steady breaths, her copper curls framing her face as her dainty fingers remained curled into a loose fist, laying still against his chest. He couldn't help but smile, moving to run a finger through her hair while trying to be careful not to wake her. She let out a contented sigh at the action and seemed to snuggle further into his arms, burrowing her face into his chest. He felt somewhat sad. She was so peaceful right now, and this could've been the most peaceful night's sleep she'd had in God only knew how long, so to wake up to the hell that they were living could be absolutely awful for her.

He heard footsteps approaching the curtain that separated their space and their little bubble of peace from the main area of the store, and his eyes narrowed in irritation. He could almost guarantee that this was either Coach or Rochelle, and he didn't want whichever nosey asshole it was to have the satisfaction of an interrogation, so he closed his eyes, pulled Julia as close to him as he could, and pretended to be asleep. He heard the curtain being pulled back, and he heard the three of them gasp almost in unison.

"Damn..." Coach whispered harshly, "I knew somethin' was goin' on!"

"Guys, this ain't right." Ellis was now whispering also, "It's their business, not ours. Just leave 'em."

"He's right, you know."

Nick opened one eye in shock when he heard Julia speaking next to him, her voice slightly muffled by his body, which she was pressed closely to for warmth. She was groggy from sleep, and as she rubbed at her eyes with them still closed, easing herself up a little to press a soft kiss to Nick's stubbled jaw, she slid her hand up to the nape of his neck to hold him gently and lovingly.

"It's not your business. So go away and let us sleep a little longer, please." She said, not even gracing them with a look as settled back down and moved her fingers to play with Nick's hair, "We're both still tired."

Coach and Rochelle slipped away silently, while Ellis remained for a second longer, clearing his throat quietly. While it was a bit of a shock to find Nick and Julia cuddled up together, clearly half-naked, he wasn't concerned or worried about it like Coach and Rochelle seemed to be. He was quite pleased that Nick had found someone to care about and that Julia had found a little happiness in this mess as well. He felt very guilty that he, Rochelle and Coach had interrupted them and spied on them like this because he knew it hadn't been the right thing to do, so the very least he could do was apologise.

"I asked 'em to leave ya both be, Jules, I'm sorry." He murmured, slipping back behind the curtain and out of sight.

Once he'd gone, Nick and Julia both opened their eyes to look at each other, and Nick smiled at her proudly, moving to kiss her forehead while trying to make out what was being said in the next room as sharp whispers filled the silence of the store. Julia eased herself up slightly and turned over so that he was spooning her, smiling as he moved her short curls out of the way to kiss her neck.

"I thought you were asleep." He whispered to her, "Thanks for handling that."

"That's okay." She sighed softly, allowing him to slip his arms around her before squeezing one of his hands, "It's time for me to be more assertive."

Nick chuckled, nuzzling the back of her neck briefly in response to her comment. Kissing her bare shoulder, he felt her sigh again as she then turned onto her back to look at him, brushing her fingers through his hair. She smiled so warmly, and it was simply because she loved how gorgeous he looked with his slightly tousled hair and his sleepy eyes, indicating how tired he still was.

"Did you get any sleep?" She asked him, moving her touch to his jaw which she stroked with her thumb in a soft, tender fashion.

"Yeah, a few hours." Nick murmured, "What about you?"

"I slept pretty well, all things considered." Julia said with a smile, rubbing her eyes with the back of her dainty hand, "Apart from, of course, our rather rude awakening."

"Yeah, but you handled that like a boss." He told her, leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips, "Come on... We'd better get dressed and get the interrogation over with."

Trying to explain their situation to three people who had very little chance of understanding it was difficult. Rochelle was clearly concerned because of the relationship that Julia had just come out of and she didn't hold back when telling Nick that his track record wasn't exactly doing him any favours, which earned her some rather disdainful glares from Nick. Coach, like they thought he would be, was concerned that Julia and Nick would be distracted because their focus would be on nothing but each other. Ellis, however, was the only one who seemed to share a little bit of their happiness. He did threaten Nick with kicking his ass if he hurt Julia, though, but that was the only negativity they received from the young mechanic.

It was clear from their tones of voices and their facial expressions, not to mention their body language, that Julia and Nick weren't too happy about having their privacy invaded in the way that it had been that morning. They explained that they wanted to take things at their own pace and that if they had the opportunity for privacy, they'd take it. They also wanted to be left alone to work things out by themselves without everyone else feeling the need to offer their input.

After this conversation, the group gathered their now mostly dry clothes from the store restrooms and packed up their belongings, ready to make a move into the swampy village ahead. Already, it was apparent that several infected had gathered around the nearby area and as the group went to check a garage across the way, they each took it in turns to either beat the zombies to death or shoot them. Both still in pain from their previous rib injuries, Rochelle and Julia had already popped some pain pills and were both still moving a little more slowly than the guys would like, but it wasn't too much of an issue at this point.

Waiting outside the garage, Rochelle and Julia stood on guard, their rifles held tightly in their hands while the guys searched around for any supplies inside. Rochelle glanced across at the younger woman, whose gaze was trained on something moving through the tall grass, shrubberies and trees ahead.

"What do you see?" Rochelle asked, concerned.

"I don't know..." Julia whispered back, raising her rifle, "I don't hear anything, do you?"

"No." Rochelle replied, also raising her rifle, "Let's move a little closer..."

The girls took a few steps forward, both gazing slightly to the right near the foliage that surrounded a nearby fence. Growling then started to hit their ears. The growls of not one, but multiple Hunters. Julia's heart rose into her throat as she remembered what had happened to her and Nick back at _Whispering Oaks_. Being cornered by three Hunters at once wasn't in any way pleasant.

"They did this at the amusement park..." She breathed out, both women starting to retreat, "They're hunting in packs now."

"Jesus Christ..." Rochelle gasped, hurrying their retreat, "Get back..."

"Girls?!" Ellis' voice rang out from the garage, and that was when the Hunters chose to strike.

Shrieking, they leapt out from their hiding spot. _Four_ of them, almost as if they were simply displaying themselves. The sound was loud enough to draw the three men out of the garage, and as soon as they saw the Hunters, they broke into a run in the direction that they'd last seen both women. Rochelle was in sight, hitting one of them away with her AK-47, but Julia was nowhere to be seen. Everyone rushed to take out three of the four Hunters that were in sight, but then a blood-curdling scream echoed through the now silent grassland.

Julia had been dodging the leaps of a Hunter for the last minute or so, leading her further and further away from her group. The whole time she'd been ducking and diving, she'd been shaking with fear and adrenaline. All she could hear and see in her head was that woman being torn apart outside the hotel back in Savannah, and her helpless husband screaming for her but being powerless to do anything. She had a chance to save herself. But, just as she turned around to shoot and kill her pursuer, she was pounced.

Now she was pinned down in the grass, her M16 pressed against the throat of the Hunter, adrenaline fuelling the strength she needed to hold it off before it could harm her. She was vaguely aware that she was screaming. Her shocked, dark eyes were locked on the Hunter's face, staring into its emptiness while everything around her seemed to fade away. She could hear the way she was screaming; the sounds were fearful, frantic, full of terror. It was probably going to attract infected from all over the place, but she couldn't stop it. She was struck with fright, her heart hammering in her chest, blood racing through her veins, her eyes wide and tearful. She was sure she was going to pass out... She could feel a sudden wave of nausea hit her like a brick wall and her grip on her weapon faltered for just a second.

" _JULIA!"_

Nick... That was _Nick_... He sounded frantic. She'd never heard him sound so panicked before... And she knew it was because she was in danger. He was scared for her, terrified that she was being mauled to death. He _cared_ for her. He wanted to protect her... All she'd known before was a man who'd wanted to hurt her, but now she had a man who wanted to _protect_ her and keep her _safe_... That gave her the strength she needed to keep holding that rifle in place, and she was able to give it a harsh shove, knocking the Hunter back a little before locking the gun back under its jaw.

The sound of pounding feet made her panic momentarily, but she saw a flash of blue and yellow, and Ellis had the Hunter off of her in an instant, blasting it to pieces with his shotgun. She was laying in the grass now, between two houses she realised, her M16 now on the ground still held limply in her hand. She couldn't move... She was shaking violently, trying to regain her breath. She was no longer screaming...

"Julia?!" She heard a collective call of her name above the sounds of Ellis' shotgun.

They couldn't find her. They couldn't see her. She _couldn't_ move... Oh, _God_...

"She's over there!" Ellis was yelling, probably pointing the others in her direction, "Down there, in the grass!"

She heard more pounding footsteps through the grass, and she heard the sound of someone falling to their knees beside her, panting for breath as though they'd just run a marathon. Two strong hands grabbed her by the arms and heaved her upwards, and she was crushed against a soft, warm blue dress-shirt, a familiar scent bringing her back to reality where she realised now, she was safe and she was with Nick. Then, she proceeded to burst into tears.

"It's okay, sweetheart..."

 _That familiar voice..._

Nick had his arms so tightly around Julia that he thought he'd crush her. He was shaking almost as much as she was. Rochelle had seen her sprinting away from a Hunter but hadn't been able to help since the other three had her cornered. Nick had been so frightened, and he hadn't felt like that for over twenty years, which felt both alarming but also somewhat comforting. He _cared_ , and that's all this was. He'd been so scared because she had real, true, deep meaning to him, and that was nothing to feel afraid of, not really. He was now trying to console her, cupping her head with his hand and gently running his fingers through her short hair, kissing her tenderly on the side of her head, even hushing her.

"It's alright, baby, I've got you... I've got you, I promise." He whispered to her, almost wincing as he felt her fingers curl and then tighten, twisting the fabric of his shirt, "Shhh... You're safe."

The others watched helplessly, realising that Nick was trying to soothe himself as much as he was trying to soothe Julia. They couldn't believe how frantic he'd been when he'd realised that she was missing, and even though the whole event had lasted for more than a few minutes, it had been utterly terrifying. He clearly did really care about her and that was more validation for both Coach and Rochelle that maybe Julia's feelings weren't in any danger here.

She seemed to be calming now, her shoulders no longer heaving with her sobs but instead, rising and falling with deep breaths, only to bounce occasionally with the odd hiccup from her crying fit. Nick was continuing to whisper to her that she was safe, he had her now, nothing was going to take her from him, and that she needed to try and calm down. He was rubbing her back in slow, methodical and gentle circles. It seemed to be working, thankfully, and she was steadily relaxing in his hold, slumping against him while safe in the knowledge that his strong body would keep her upright.

"Let's get you back on your feet." He whispered to her, looking up at Ellis who moved to help him pick her up.

Once she was stood, the others could see the terror still on her face, her eyes now swollen and red as tears continued to fall down her face. She wasn't really making any sound now, but the positive in the situation was that she was on her feet and she seemed steady enough. Rochelle nervously handed Nick a bottle of water, which he removed the cap from before handing it to Julia. She was shaking still, but not so badly that she couldn't drink from the bottle. It didn't seem to take her more than a minute or two to gather her nerves again, maybe not fully, but enough to continue. She explained why she'd been so frightened about what had just happened, and about what she'd seen back in Georgia outside that damn hotel.

Now, her reaction in the amusement park made much more sense when she and Nick had been surrounded. She was deathly afraid of Hunters, and no matter how frightened she was of Tanks, or Witches, or any of the other special infected, the Hunters frightened her the most. Within a couple of minutes, she was able to walk again. Nick made it clear to everyone else that she wasn't to team up with anyone but him. If he'd been out there with her instead of Rochelle, that attack wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have given it the chance to.

Coach was reluctant, but he agreed with Nick in the end. It seemed pointless to argue with him considering the fact that he was stupidly determined to get his own way on this one. During the discussion, Ellis had his arm around Julia to support her and reassure her, not exactly feeling too keen on leaving her side either. She was like a little sister to him now, just as Nick was like a big brother, Rochelle was like an older sister, and Coach was like a father. He'd do anything to keep them safe.

"Alright..." Coach sighed, biting his lip nervously, "Take Jules that way..."

He pointed to a series of rickety-looking buildings ahead which were slightly obscured by the fog that was slowly rolling in from God only knew where. There were infected wandering around the area, but not so many that Julia and Nick couldn't handle them on their own. She looked better now with more colour in her cheeks, but Nick could tell that she was still shaken by what had happened and he knew he'd need to keep an eye on her.

"We'll search these houses here and we'll rejoin ya both down there." Coach continued, "Be safe."

Nick nodded to him, turned to Julia and gently encouraged her to start moving, and all that the others could do was watch worriedly as the couple headed towards their given location, weapons at the ready. Coach beckoned Rochelle and Ellis to follow him, casting one last look over his shoulder at the pair walking away from their group.

The second that Nick could see that the others had disappeared, he took a hold of Julia's arm, stopping her in her tracks. She looked up at him, those big eyes of hers making her seem so vulnerable as she frowned up at him in confusion, her lips parted in the shock of being grabbed by him like that. He then leant down and kissed her, capturing her lips in his own in a deep, heated kiss to try and convey to her just how fucking _relieved_ he was that she hadn't been hurt, and boy, had they all been lucky that she'd not been hurt. Breaking away from her, he took her arm again and led her on, not saying another word to her.

The few infected that were wandering nearby were quickly taken out with Nick's sniper rifle, and they moved into a store on their left, quickly scanning the place for anything useful, only to find nothing but a pair of pistols. Nick didn't see the harm in them taking an extra sidearm each just in case their Magnums ran out of ammo, so the pistols were slipped into their bags alongside all the other things they were carrying.

All five of them had now become accustomed to the extra weight they were bearing when on the move, and Julia had started to feel herself growing stronger each day which made the weight easier and easier for her to carry. They moved silently to the next building which appeared to be some kind of restaurant, killing the infected that were inside, once again methodically searching to see if they could find anything useful. Once again, they found nothing.

"Damnit." Nick cursed as he stood from his current position by an open counter, looking to Julia, who was standing awkwardly by the door of the building with her gaze trained on a garage opposite, "Sweetie, are you okay?"

No. Julia wasn't okay. Her inability to kill that Hunter out there was weighing heavily on her brain. What if she couldn't help the team out when they needed her to? What if her inability cost someone their life? What if she got _Nick_ killed? Her four friends didn't need her to be incapable and in these moments, she was feeling incapable, and weak... and frightened.

"Maybe I'm not cut out for this." She breathed out, not daring to look at him, "If I can't take out a Hunter, how am I gonna...? I can't protect _any_ of you."

"Listen to me, right now." Nick said, walking across to her and taking her by the arms, forcing her gaze to his, "You're getting tougher and tougher every day. You've taken out a hell of a lot of zombies already and those specials? They're no match for you. You know they're not."

"What if I can't protect _you_?" She whispered, her eyes wide and full of fear, "What if something happens to _you_? I don't know if I can handle that."

Wow. Nick really hadn't expected _that_ from her. She didn't know if she could handle it if something happened to him...? Did she really care that much? A lump suddenly threatened to fill his throat at the realisation that someone actually gave a shit about him. And she cared so much that the very thought of him getting hurt because _she_ couldn't protect him, for whatever reason, caused her upset and even a little panic.

"Nothing's gonna happen to me." He told her firmly, despite knowing that he _really_ shouldn't be promising her that, "Okay? Don't worry."

God, was she worrying... Her brow was knotted into a tight frown, those big eyes were full of concern, she was chewing on her lower lip and she was huddled up in her own space like she was trying to protect herself. Swallowing hard, Nick leant forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, holding the back of her head so he could keep her there.

"Don't worry, darlin'." He said as he broke the kiss, murmuring the sentiment into her hair which earned him what he felt was a sigh of relief, "We'll be okay. All of us."

"Listen to you being the optimist for once." She smiled weakly, clearly still very worried.

"Exactly." Nick answered with a smirk, "If I'm being optimistic then..."

A gurgle echoed across the open space outside. A high pitched one. Nick and Julia's interaction was halted as they both exited the building to look for the threat which was no doubt oncoming. Julia caught a glimpse of a shape waddling through the mist, disappearing behind a store at the far end of the street as more high pitched gargling filled the air, echoing around them.

"It's a female Boomer..." She murmured, pointing towards the building where the vomiting zombie had disappeared behind, "She'll be coming this way."

"No problem." Nick said with a grin, "Cover me, babe."

He knelt down with his sniper rifle and looked through the scope at the building. Sure enough, out came the female Boomer, her stomach wobbling with the force of her movements as she started to make her way towards them, gurgling and belching to herself in that high pitched voice. Nick aimed, waited until the beam of his laser sight was hovering over her stomach, and he fired, causing her to explode which left her bottom half rolling along the floor.

"Good shot." Julia praised him, offering him a weak smile.

The sound of footfalls filled the pair's ears as Coach, Rochelle and Ellis approached, their clothes now somewhat bloodied and dirty after their encounters with infected. Ellis had a pipe bomb and Coach had a Molotov cocktail, which was more than Nick and Julia had been able to find.

"Find anything?" Coach asked them as they approached.

"Not a damn thing apart from a couple of pistols." Nick said quietly, "There aren't even many infected up here... I dunno if that's a good sign or not."

"Keep moving. And be careful." Coach instructed them quietly, "Let's go."

The group moved forward, taking out the small number of zombies that were wandering around nearby. After searching the nearby garages only to come out empty handed, the five survivors found themselves standing in front of a body of water, with their only way across being a cable ferry which, of course, was on the opposite shoreline to theirs. Fantastic.

"Okay... We set this thing going and it's gonna bring us some unwanted attention." Nick muttered, "I don't want any of us near this water until the cable ferry gets here. If a Charger shows up..."

"I agree." Rochelle said with a nod, "Is there anywhere we can wait that's above ground?"

"There." Julia said, pointing to the store behind them, "There's a ladder leading to that roof."

"Good thinkin', young 'un." Coach laughed, "Okay... Ellis, you wait down here and set the cable ferry goin', and then join us on that roof."

"Why me?" Ellis asked with a grimace.

"You're the fastest runner here." Nick said before anyone else had the chance to answer, "You're capable of handling yourself down here, too, right?"

"Sure." Ellis said, taking a deep breath as he seemed to fill with a new-found confidence, "Okay... Alright, I'll do it."

The second that everyone was in position, Ellis hit the switch for the cable ferry and raced to the ladder to get to safety with the others. Once the ferry started moving, the sound of pounding feet soon accompanied it, and zombies slowly started to pour in from every direction, snarling, biting, shouting and grunting in their attempts to reach their prey. Rochelle and Julia were pressed back to back with the others, their weapons aimed at the doorway that led to the small apartment above the store which, of course, led to their little platform of safety on the roof. Sure enough, infected began to come that way too and as they became swarmed with zombies, Ellis threw his pipe bomb in an attempt to give them some breathing room.

After what felt like hours, the ferry had arrived, but just when everyone had almost gotten on board after a frantic dash for it, a long tongue flew out, wrapping around Ellis' middle. When he cried out, the girls rushed to grab him and pull him forward to keep him still, while Nick tried to aim at the Smoker who was hiding amongst the foliage next to the water, desperately trying to pull Ellis towards it. A look of determination was plastered on both women's faces as they pulled Ellis towards them as hard as they could, despite the fact that the tongue around his middle was tightening and causing him pain.

"Hold on, Ellis!" Julia cried out, trying to keep a hold of the mechanic, "Just a little longer!"

The shot from Nick's sniper rifle rang out above the snarling infected, and thankfully, the Smoker took a fatal hit, releasing Ellis instantly. He fell forwards, taking the girls with him as they all tumbled down on the floor of the ferry. Hitting the switch to get the ferry actually moving, Coach and Nick rushed to get everyone back on their feet, and with the brief break that they had, the group took the chance to catch their breaths. Nick gave Julia a rather reassuring smile and leant towards her, whispering in her ear.

"See how you held onto Ellis then? You fought with a Smoker to keep your friend from being dragged and beaten to death." He told her with a grin, "You've _totally_ got this."

"Earl's Gator Village?" Rochelle asked incredulously, drawing the couple's attention to a sign they were approaching, "Don't feed the gators?"

"Oh, well I think you'll find I don't intend to feed the gators, thank you _very_ much." Julia said with a huff, "As if they have to put up signs to tell people that."

"Listen at you gettin' all sassy." Rochelle said with a grin, "It's a good look on you, girl."

"Really?" Julia chuckled with a blush, "That was sassy?"

Nick nodded to her in reassurance as a bright smile made its way onto her face. She was so proud of herself that finally some of her old self was coming back that it was impossible not to revel in that joy with her. Unfortunately, the cable ferry coming to a stop was enough to bring them out of their reverie and as the gate opened, they carefully stepped out into the murky, misty swamp.

"Oh, this is just a dump." Nick groaned, looking down at his formerly-white dress pants, "Ugh... These are gonna be ruined."

"They're already ruined, Nick." Coach murmured, looking the conman over.

"Whatever." Nick shrugged, "Let's keep out of the water. I'd rather not be snapped up by a gator, y'know?"

When everyone had taken a few moments to reload their weapons, they set off into the murkiness of the swamp, ready for whatever hell was waiting for them amongst trees.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter!**

 **I hope you're enjoying this so far!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Thanks for all the continued support so far! I'm sorry my updates aren't as frequent as one per day, but I'm still in the process of writing this story and I'm trying to keep the gap between uploaded and completed chapters to at least five or six apart so that we don't catch up to ourselves, but I promise I won't be uploading the sequel until it's almost, or it actually is completed. That way you guys can have one chapter a day. Anyway, I'd like to thank **buzzsaw935** for following this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Nineteen -**

"Left or right, guys?" Ellis asked as the group came to a small fork in their makeshift path.

They had two choices. Either walk through the swamp and potentially get devoured by alligators or take a walkway that went above the ground. To all five of them, the choice seemed pretty obvious. Higher ground would not only protect them from potential alligator attacks but also from any attacks from infected. The mist, swirling and twisting through the tall trees and the mass of foliage made it almost impossible to see where the zombies were, although their growls and snarls were echoing all around the group, mixed in with the sounds of frogs, insects and the other wildlife who were carrying on as if the world hadn't ended.

"We'll check this shack here..." Nick said, indicating the building to their left, "And then we'll go left and onto that walkway."

"Seems like a good idea." Coach agreed, "Let's move."

The shack to their left had nothing of any use in there other than another pipe bomb, which Nick decided to carry. So, navigating the awkward planked walkways, the group made their way up a flight of rickety-looking stairs, pausing at the top to look around the area in order to get an idea of what they were walking into. It was so misty that the infected below them were only just visible, and they certainly couldn't see what lay ahead of them. It made things very difficult.

"We don't have to kill everything in this swamp, right?" Julia asked in a whisper, "We could try and sneak by to save our ammo."

"We could." Rochelle agreed with a nod, "So, are we in agreement? We just shoot anything that's an imminent threat?"

The men nodded in agreement, and they carefully started to move across the walkway, trying not to make too much noise. They came across another shack which they quickly searched, thankfully coming across some handgun ammo and some rifle ammo for Nick, which he took gratefully considering he was starting to run a little low on bullets. They thankfully only drew the attention of a couple of the infected which were quickly taken out by Rochelle's machete and Ellis' fire axe.

Reaching the end of the boardwalk, the group were met with the sounds of a Witch crying. It was growing dark, which meant that wherever she was, she'd be sitting. That might make her harder to spot given the current weather conditions, but the five of them had to persevere regardless. Heading down the rickety steps and shooting the few infected that were wading around in the water, the group tried to find a way around the swamp water.

"How deep is this?" Julia asked, looking out at the water.

"I dunno. Maybe waist deep at the most?" Coach offered.

"Waist deep?!" Julia hissed out, shocked, "No, I'm sorry... I'm not wading through this."

"Unfortunately, honey, there ain't exactly a boat we can use." Coach said with a sigh.

"Then I'll have to improvise." Julia said with a determined nod, stepping past her friends as she looked for a way through.

Spotting the plank-like pathways that led across the water, she carefully edged across them, her rifle held out in front of her. The others followed her faithfully while she shot at various zombies to clear them a path. All of a sudden, however, she came to a stop, almost causing Ellis to barrel into the back of her. She reached back with a hand and grabbed his shirt to try and make him understand the urgency of this situation, which thankfully, he understood as he came to a stop behind her.

He quickly waved at the others to stop, and as the swamp critters continued to chirp despite the sound of the crying Witch, the five survivors remained deathly silent. She was mere feet away from them, and one step closer would be enough to disturb her. Ellis carefully started to ease Julia back, away from where the Witch was sitting.

"Well... There goes my hope of staying dry." Julia murmured, looking crestfallen, "Never mind. It was worth a shot."

"Those boots will keep your legs mostly dry." Coach offered weakly, pointing to an area to their left, "And besides, if ya stay near these here patches of land, you're only gonna be in water up to your ankles."

Clearly, Julia wasn't happy about that either, but as they stepped into the water, she was relieved to find that her boots did an adequate job of keeping her dry. Unfortunately for Coach and Nick, their lower legs were now soaking wet, which was accompanied by rather irritated grumbles from Nick as they passed the Witch, who was now partially shrouded in mist.

"Is that a safe house?" Ellis asked, pointing in front to where a soft glow of light was visible through the light fog.

It was a large structure that they were confronted with, looming somewhat menacingly over the five survivors as they approached. It transpired that they'd found a safe room in a drainage pipe, and it was going to be too small to spend the night in, but at least they could stock up on supplies and take a quick breather. Once inside, they shut the door and set the waiting metal bar in place before moving to the dimly lit table of supplies where they were able to gather more ammo and some water, which they all drank gratefully.

"We all doin' alright?" Coach asked, looking across at his fellow survivors.

Everyone responded positively which was a relief, and as the group reloaded their weapons, Coach felt pretty confident that everyone was focused and ready to go. Nick and Julia were talking about something between themselves at the back of the safe house, their voices so low that they'd probably barely be able to hear each other, so he took that opportunity to open up their exit door and leave the pair to have their talk.

They were met with very deep water that was definitely about waist height. Wading into it carefully, Coach spotted a bank to their right that would allow them to stay on semi-dry land. After a quick discussion, it was decided that due to Rochelle and Julia being smaller and also due to the concerns about them getting almost their entire bodies wet because of the depth of the water, Nick and Ellis agreed to piggyback them both across to the bank where Coach was now waiting. Ellis and Rochelle crossed quite quickly, reaching the other side with very little difficulty, and with Rochelle only getting a little bit wet. Ellis' overalls were enough to keep him mostly dry.

It was Nick and Julia's turn to cross now, and as the others covered them from across the water, Nick held Julia up as high as he could on his back before crossing the water with her. The feeling of his hands gripping her thighs like that was surprisingly arousing to her, and she cursed herself for getting turned on at the most inappropriate time possible.

"Almost there." Nick murmured, wincing at how uncomfortable his clothing felt, "Thank God."

"You guys should probably change your clothes once we reach the other side." Julia replied sweetly.

"No, honey, the heat out here will dry us off soon enough. I know it's Fall, but God, it's hot." Nick said with a grin, "It's so humid that my hair's getting big."

"Your hair gets big?" Julia asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, it curls in humidity. It's why I slick it back." Nick said, turning around as he reached the bank, "Okay, are you close enough to get down?"

"I think so." Julia muttered, easing herself down off his back, "Thank you, sweetie."

She held her hand out to Nick to help him onto the bank, which he took gratefully, marvelling at how soft her skin was despite the hard work her hands had been put through over the past few days. She frowned at him in sympathy when she saw how wet he was, but Coach was quick to reassure him that he'd be dry again in no time.

Once they started moving through the trees towards a boat caught between two pieces of land, it became apparent that the swamp ahead was going to be treacherous to cross. The mist was enough of a danger because it obscured any threats from their views for some considerable distance, but also the thick foliage would make it hard to spot any zombies in their path.

"We'll be lucky to come out this unharmed." Nick murmured, "For God's sake, watch yourselves, and this time, we all stick together."

"Jesus, Nick..." Rochelle breathed out incredulously, "Talk about being pessimistic."

" _Realistic_ , Ro. _Realistic_." Nick corrected her, emphasising his words, "We're gonna get attacked from all sides by threats we can barely see. The chances of anyone getting out unscathed is minimal. Okay, so we might not die in here, but..."

"Can we please get moving?" Julia whispered nervously, listening to the growls and groans of the roaming infected.

"Alright... Alright. Let's go." Coach murmured, heading forward first.

Ellis stayed at the back with Rochelle, and Nick ushered Julia in front of him where he could see her, and where she'd be protected by Coach. They crossed over the makeshift bridge carefully, their weapons trained ahead of them ready to attack any oncoming threat. Within seconds of reaching the edge of the swamp they were about to head into, a female zombie sprinted out from the foliage to their left, punching Coach straight in the side of the head.

Julia hit the zombie away with her M16 and shot at her, taking her head clean off. Coach rubbed at where the zombie had hit him, pouting as he glared angrily down at her body. Nick looked at Rochelle as if to say, ' _I told you so'_ , to which she responded very immaturely by sticking her tongue out at him.

They progressed a little further forward to find zombies scattered all over the place, vomiting, fighting each other, wandering aimlessly between the termite mounds that seemed almost to be growing out of the water. There was no chance of staying dry through this patch of swampland, so Coach vowed that no matter how small or lacking in spaces for privacy that the next safehouse was, they were going to change their clothes. Keeping their feet clean and dry was especially important, which was another reason why changing into dry clothes was a priority.

Moving along the thin patches of land and trying to kill whatever zombies were in their way as they went, the group found themselves face to face with the body of a paratrooper which was hanging from a tree, still attached to his parachute. Julia and Rochelle grimaced, stepping back a little as Coach and Ellis looked the body over for anything useful. Nick refused to leave Julia's side after what had happened with the Hunter back near the gas station. Coach, of course, could understand that but the situation wasn't ideal. Nick was the best marksman they had. His experience with weapons was way above their own, but the others knew after the scare they'd had with that Hunter, Julia would be lucky to get a bathroom break on her own.

"Poor guy." The redhead murmured, crossing her arms over her chest, "To think he died alone out here..."

"At least he's in a better place now, young 'un." Coach said in an attempt to soothe her, returning his attention to his search of the man's body, "There's nothing worth taking here."

"Jesus Christ, just _leave_ him." Julia hissed, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand and moving her gaze elsewhere in stunned disbelief that they were almost toying with someone's corpse, "Just let him have some fucking _dignity_ in his death, _please_. It's not like he can have much like this."

Thankfully, Ellis and Coach stopped searching the man's body, both of them continuing in front. While the five survivors kept moving through the swamp, they remained mostly silent unless someone spotted a threat. Passing by a burned out house, they stopped for a moment to scavenge some supplies that were sat on a nearby dock, which included medical supplies, batteries for their flashlights and a few shotgun shells for Ellis and Coach.

Moving through the swamp a little further, shooting their foes as they went, the group suddenly came to a halt, utterly aghast at the sight of a crashed plane sitting in the middle of the swamp, a pile of bodies rising out of the water next to it. The cabin was exposed and was starting to sink into the water, while the vehicle itself caused quite a problem since it was now blocking their way. Nick cursed from the back of the group, kicking some random detached arm so hard that it actually hit the water near the plane with enough force to splash a nearby zombie in the face, causing it to stagger against the side of the aircraft.

"We're gonna have to go _through_ this damn plane aren't we?" Rochelle groaned, almost as sick of this as Nick was.

"Let's just get it over with." Julia grumbled, "I'm sick of jumping through hoops out here."

"We all are, Jules." Coach replied with a sigh, "Let's move."

Moving carefully through the water, wincing at the discomfort they were all feeling at being wet, the five survivors prepared to open the emergency door on the inside of the plane to step out onto its wing and then move further on from there. The only concern was, what if this came with an alarm too? Everything else in the damn world seemed to come with alarms lately, so why wouldn't this plane's stupid emergency hatch?

"Are we sure there ain't no other way around this?" Ellis asked nervously from his place at the back of the group, "Why's everythin' always have to be ten times harder than necessary?"

"Because the universe _hates_ us, that's why." Nick scowled, taking Julia's hand to help her into the plane's cabin, "I swear to God..."

"I don't think God's payin' a whole lot of attention to us right now." Coach said as he approached the emergency door, "Get ready."

"Please, _please_ don't let this thing be alarmed..." Rochelle murmured, gripping her rifle tightly in her hands.

"Why don't we just open this door, and if it's alarmed, run like fuck?" Nick asked, "We've got the damn energy to do it, and we also have a spare pipe bomb, which means we can clear ourselves a path if we have to."

"I like Nick's idea." Ellis said with a sincere nod, "We can't be wasting this here ammo. There ain't that much left."

"Okay... Alright." Coach said quietly, taking a deep breath, "I want us to run in a group. If you see someone fallin' behind, holler, and we'll wait on 'em to make sure we get to our next safe area together. No-one's gettin' left behind. Are we clear?"

"We're clear." Nick said, "Now, open the hatch before this turns into a bad idea."

Coach heaved the wheel around to open the hatch, and as suspected, a loud alarm started blaring through the swamp, an inhuman scream filling the air which caused the team of five to break into a sprint. The water slowed them down considerably, but not so much so that they couldn't make a quick getaway. Shooting only what came at them from the front, the group raced through the water, all feeling exhausted by the time they got onto land. Nick looked over his shoulder to see Rochelle stumbling onto the grass, and he whistled to the others, who paused and covered them as he got her to her feet and pulled her along to keep up with them.

A bull-like roar came from their right, and Nick had to pause to heave Rochelle out of the way as a Charger suddenly ran between them and the others, hitting a tree somewhere beyond the foliage. Sprinting for their lives, the five kept running until they reached water so deep that they were forced to climb onto the roof of a sunken house, half buried in the swamp water. Taking that opportunity to then use their pipe bomb, they sent the infected running in the direction they'd come from to chase the beeping mechanism before setting off again, finding themselves with a pretty clear route up to a dirt road where there were only a few infected blocking their way.

"Just keep runnin'!" Ellis yelled, racing ahead.

A hoarse, throaty screech came from his left, and within seconds, he found himself being dragged off by a Smoker, out of the sights of his friends. Julia screamed his name, sprinting after the Smoker with her M16 aimed at it, her laser beam searching desperately for a good shot.

Nick saw her disappear down the hill after Ellis, and within a few seconds, there was a choking sound followed by coughing and a cloud of green smoke. The others held off the oncoming infected as best they could while Julia and Ellis got back up the hill. Looking up at her friends, Julia made eye contact with Nick, who was giving her a look that she couldn't quite fathom. He was frowning, and he looked scared, but something in his eyes told her that he was upset and disappointed in her, probably because she'd taken off after Ellis like that.

"This way!" Ellis yelled, waving them on, "Come on!"

They passed a sign for Village En Marais which also had a safehouse marker on it, giving the group an unbelievable sense of relief at the thought that they'd be safe soon. The five of them raced towards the awaiting safehouse, and as they got inside, they all helped to slam the door shut, throwing a table of supplies over before using it to help barricade the door. They all collapsed to the ground with exhaustion, with Julia immediately moving to check Ellis' neck for injuries after his Smoker encounter.

There was slamming on the door they'd just come through, courtesy of the infected that had been chasing them for the past ten minutes, and Nick couldn't help but hit the butt of his sniper rifle against the door in retaliation due to being so pissed off with the zombies for making them run so much. Satisfied that Ellis wasn't too badly hurt, Julia sat back on the ground, leaning against him for a moment to catch her breath.

"Well done, guys." Rochelle said with a relieved grin, "I can't believe we made that."

"We need to change our clothes." Coach said with a sigh, "Again. We can use that there bedroom."

"We staying here tonight?" Ellis asked, looking at Coach wearily, "I'm beat from all that runnin'."

"We'll just take a few hours to rest." Coach replied warmly, "Get outta these wet clothes and get some sleep."

"Jules and I can change last." Nick said with a smirk, " _We're_ taking the bed."

"Wait a minute..." Julia said with an embarrassed laugh, stunned by Nick's rudeness, "We can't just decide we're taking the bed like that."

"It's fine, honey." Rochelle said with a laugh, "A few hours is nothing, and besides, if you two want some privacy, it's okay."

Rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably, Julia looked up at Nick with a fierce blush on her face while Rochelle stepped past them to get changed. She could be heard complaining in the small bedroom as she changed her clothes as to the difficulty she faced when trying to remove her soaked jeans which were now clinging to her body.

"There's some crackers over here." Coach said, sounding pleased with himself as he rummaged through the tiny house's cupboards, "Not been opened yet."

"Better than nothing, I guess." Nick grumbled, looking up as Rochelle returned in her cleaner clothes, the wet ones held in her hands.

"We can hang our wet clothes over this bathtub." She said, hanging her wet jeans and t-shirt over the bathtub in the corner, "It'll give 'em a few hours to dry off before we get moving again."

"Good idea, Ro." Ellis said warmly, "There's some crackers over here if you want some."

After Coach, Ellis and Julia had changed, Nick went to go and change his clothes after, feeling rather relieved to be out of his soaked suit. The second he'd laid his clothes on the bathtub, he grabbed Julia's hand and dragged her into the small bedroom, poking his head around to the others to tell them they were going to get some sleep.

They heard some quiet chatter in the small space next to them as Julia settled onto the futon-like bed next to them, her faux-leather jacket now being used as a pillow since the pillow she had to sleep on looked rather unpleasant. Nick settled next to her, using his jacket as a pillow too. After a few moments of quiet, Nick could tell something was up. Julia was looking up at the ceiling, her brow knotted in worry and her teeth chewing at her lower lip as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Everything okay?" He asked her, turning on his side and leaning on his elbow to look at her, his hand supporting his head.

No, it wasn't. Julia was worried about what had happened out there with that Smoker. She knew full well that Nick hadn't been best pleased with her, and the thought of him being mad at her sucked so much that it made her chest hurt. She terrified that he was going to berate her for such a stupid move but at the same time, she just wanted to make amends and to forget about it.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked quietly, "You know... 'Cause I chased down that Smoker?"

Nick looked confused for a moment, his eyes glimmering in the soft light of the safe room with what looked like amusement. Now, Julia was confused. She was sure he'd be angry at her for throwing herself in harm's way, especially after Ellis, who Nick would probably be angry with for getting himself entangled with a Smoker anyway.

"I'm not mad." He whispered, "Yeah, alright, I got a little anxious when I saw you bounding down that hill after the damn thing, but I know you can hold your own. You made the right call going after Ellis."

"You sure?" Julia asked, her gaze trained on his.

"Yeah. Besides, if anything happened to you, I would've kicked Ellis' ass for being dumb enough to get caught." Nick murmured, leaning closer to her, "Now, shut up and come here."

Julia looked a little stunned at how calm he was, but that was soon replaced with a warm smile as she moved towards him to kiss him, sighing as he curled his hand around her head to hold her in place. He was moving on top of her before she knew what was happening, and part of her was worried that the movement would be spotted by the others, but when she felt him slipping his tongue into her mouth, a spark shot through her that almost caused her to moan.

"Nick, we can't..." She whispered, breaking away from him.

"Just a little..." Nick whispered back, "Humour me. Seeing your shirt go see-through turned me on a little."

"You know, I should call you disgusting and kick you outta here." Julia murmured, smiling as he kissed her again.

"Yeah, but you're not gonna, are you?" Nick spoke softly, trying to keep as quiet as possible, "You like me too much."

Julia pulled back and arched an eyebrow at him. He really was arrogant sometimes, but she really found it hard to care, especially when he was looking at her the way he was in that moment. It looked almost like adoration to her, and she really hoped it was. She hadn't been looked at like this for the longest time.

"I do." She whispered, moving to run her fingers through his hair, "Okay... We can a little. But, only a little. And we stay clothed. We're only here for a couple of hours."

"Oh, baby... So many rules..." Nick breathed out, smirking at her.

"Shut up and kiss me." Julia murmured, leaning closer to him as an invitation.

When their lips met again, Nick let her take control. Their last encounter like this had shown him that she clearly had issues with intimacy. Whether or not it was just a confidence thing or whether or not it had something to do with her ex-boyfriend, which it probably did, he knew that letting her take control was best. The last thing he wanted to do was freak her out since it had taken him so long to actually get up the courage to even let her know how he felt about her.

Running his hand under her long-sleeved top, he cradled her hip before squeezing lightly to show her he liked the way she was kissing and touching him. She was _really_ good with her hands, and he didn't think she knew just how amazing her touches were. He felt her shudder beneath him as he moved his touch to her waist, and as she gasped with the electricity she felt at the touch, he slid his tongue back into her mouth again.

The sound of a gunshot startled them both out of their kiss, and they heard Coach celebrating his kill of a Hunter that had apparently been skulking nearby. Sharing a look of resignation, the couple decided to put and end to their make-out session and try to get some rest. Julia turned away from Nick to get comfortable, smiling to herself when she felt him move closer to her and pull her back towards his chest.

"We're cuddling now?" She asked quietly, unable to stop herself from giggling when she heard his response.

"Shhh... We're only here for a couple of hours."

Biting her lip to stifle her laugh, Julia took his hand in her own, squeezing it tightly before settling down to sleep.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thank you for reading this so far!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ** _Left 4 Dead 2_** or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hello again, everyone! Thanks for continuing to read this story. I'm a little disappointed to see a lack of reviews again. They really were encouraging me to continue and I would love to know what you guys think of the story. Anyway, I'm currently writing chapter twenty-six and we're almost at The Parish, so the fic will probably be at its end soon. I'll be making sure to complete the sequel before I upload it so we don't have days between uploads. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty -**

After a few hours of sleep, the group were getting ready to move out again.

Their clothes weren't completely dry, but they were dry enough to put back on, which was better than nothing. They didn't see the point in getting their clean clothes wet and ruined too, so with their clean clothes packed safely back in their bags, they moved to leave the sanctuary of their current location to head on to the plantation house, as the scrawled writing on the walls told them to. Looking through the gap in the safe room door, Nick grimaced at the sight of the watery pathway ahead.

"More water..." He murmured, cursing under his breath, "I fucking _hate_ water now."

"We'll be outta here and on dry land before we know it." Coach said with a smirk, "Come on now. We gotta move."

Opening the safehouse door, the group stepped out into the open air, looking around in the still descending mist for the infected that were stumbling around the area, hidden well in the nearby foliage and the long grass. They started to move carefully but quickly, not wanting to attract any more attention that was necessary. Nick stayed at the back, pulling Julia in front of him so that he could keep an eye on her. Part of her wanted to be angry about that but she really couldn't bring herself to be. She knew he just wanted her to be safe, especially after what had happened with that Hunter.

The area they'd walked into was a small circle of shacks, each one in varying stages of disrepair and near-enough decay. They knew it would be worth searching these houses for supplies, so they split up into two teams, with Coach and Ellis going one way, and Nick and the girls going another. Thankfully, Coach and Ellis ran into no problems, but Nick and the ladies found themselves with a small problem when they came across a shack that had been sealed up to lock a group of infected inside. The second those things came bursting through the windows, the trio found themselves almost overwhelmed.

Nick knew that this sniper rifle wasn't going to be useful for much longer. The hordes they encountered seemed to be getting bigger and it wasn't going to do enough damage. A shotgun or assault rifle of some kind would be a better choice for him, and he agreed with both Julia and Rochelle that as soon as he came across one, it would be better to swap his laser sight and flashlight across to his new gun, and he would have to leave the sniper rifle behind. He'd become somewhat attached to that weapon so he found himself feeling rather sad that he'd have to abandon it.

Slicing the last zombie's head off with her machete, Rochelle let out a sigh of relief, leaning against a nearby wall before bending forwards to catch her breath. Nick was checking Julia over for injury after she'd been cornered by zombies. He was terrified that she'd been bitten, and she could tell that he was too, given the frantic look in his eyes and the way he was babbling at her to stay still while he checked her over. He was halfway to ragging her jacket off when she'd finally had enough of him. She cupped his face to hold him still, staring right into his eyes to get his undivided attention.

"I _haven't_ been bitten." She said sternly, "I _promise_ , Nick. I have _not_ been bitten. I'm fine."

Nick seemed to take that moment to regain his cool, almost as if he was trying to hide his embarrassment at getting so panicked like that. The reaction to Julia being attacked by a Hunter was understandable, he knew that, but freaking out about a potential bite and checking her over so frantically seemed a bit stupid in hindsight. For that short time, though, it had been so damn hectic, and he hadn't been able to keep her out of harm's way... If she'd been bitten...

"Okay. You're fine. Good." He said, smirking at her in an attempt to hide his sudden shame at his overreaction.

"Good." Julia nodded, leaning forward to kiss his cheek, "It was sweet of you to worry though."

She looked across at Rochelle, quickly moving to get her back upright again. The older woman smiled, offering her a thumbs up to let her know that she was okay. They met up with Coach and Ellis outside, who'd found a Molotov cocktail but nothing else useful other than a way out through one of the houses. They wasted no time in heading through said house, only to be confronted with more water, more shacks, and even a trailer. There were no infected to be seen which could only mean one thing.

"There might be a Tank nearby." Nick murmured with a grimace, "It always seems to go quiet when those assholes are around."

"Great." Rochelle grumbled, running a hand over her hair.

"Stay alert, for God's sake." Nick said, easing Julia forward, "Go."

They eased forward quietly, only to come to a sudden halt as a growl came from ahead, followed by a roar. So much for staying alert. The Tank emerged from a nearby shack, tearing part of the porch off before launching it towards the group. Nick didn't hesitate before grabbing his girl and diving behind the trailer they were to the right of, causing them to land hard on the ground. Thankfully, they had a chance to get back on their feet as the beast headed after their friends, but they were quick to chase them down and start shooting the large zombie in the back.

They were horrified to see Coach suddenly flying through the air with a horrified cry as the Tank swung its arm at him, wincing at the slap that his body made as he landed in water about ten feet away. Everyone seemed to momentarily still. It was for the briefest of seconds, but they all were suddenly filled with the same unbelievable anger that something had _dared_ to harm their oldest teammate. Astoundingly, Julia was the first to scream at the gigantic infected, firing rounds into it as if there was no tomorrow.

" _FUCK YOU_!" Her voice was so loud that it was almost startling, but she was soon joined by the angry cries of everyone else.

That Tank didn't stand a chance. They would've beaten it to death if necessary, and all of them knew they would since it'd had the audacity to injure their most respected teammate. The second she saw it falling down dead, Julia threw her weapon the floor and sprinted towards Coach, who was now crawling out of the water, clearly hurt. Rochelle was with them in an instant, and Ellis and Nick were quick to follow them, picking up the girls' weapons as they went.

"Easy does it, Coach." Rochelle said soothingly, "How bad are you?"

"I'm alright." Coach coughed, "Just knocked the wind outta me."

"Okay, let's just take a second to rest." Nick said with a frown, "We didn't exactly have much time to react back there."

While Coach caught his breath, Ellis and Nick did a quick ammo count. Things looked okay for now, but it still didn't seem to be a good idea to waste ammo. Trying to avoid shooting the infected seemed to be the best course of action and they decided to only shoot any imminent threats to keep a decent stock of ammo. Once Coach felt okay to be back on his feet, the five survivors headed through the water, climbing up onto a nearby shack's porch to try and make their way across between the small, raised houses. It seemed like a bit of an obstacle course for them, but wasn't everything they were coming across these days?

There were a few zombies lingering around some of the shacks but it wasn't anything the group of five couldn't handle. Crossing the unusual boardwalk that they found themselves on, they were headed back into swampland again. Coach was moving slowly, but he seemed okay after his encounter with the Tank since Rochelle had given him some pain pills. He'd taken a pretty nasty hit, and since he was moving slowly, his four friends were also moving slowly to ensure that he didn't get left behind.

"Let's see what's up here." Nick said in a low voice, turning to Ellis and Rochelle, "You guys stay with Coach and we'll scout a little further in front."

"Don't go too far." Coach said with a sigh, "I'll be okay in a minute."

Nick nodded, taking Julia's arm to carefully lead her away, and they headed slowly into the swampland ahead, stopping at what was once someone's campsite, Nick was astounded to see a combat rifle sitting there on the floor, with a pile of magazines next to it. Grimacing, he picked up the magazines and then the gun, swapping his laser sight and flashlight over to it before placing the sniper rifle next to the body that was crumpled at the base of a tree trunk. He looked over his shoulder at Julia, who was clearly uncomfortable being so close to a corpse that he was looting.

"I know you don't like this, darlin', but this poor son of a bitch can't use this gun anymore."

"It's not just that." Julia whispered, biting her lip, "These people came out here to escape the infection and they all succumbed one way or another... It's awful."

"I know it is, sweetie." Nick said with a nod.

He didn't give two shits about the people out here, but he knew that Julia was an empathetic, sympathetic and caring person, who _did_ give two shits about what these people had been through, so he was trying to be understanding for her sake. She was clearly upset about the whole situation they were in. The sound of footsteps behind them caused them to spin around with their weapons aimed, only for the beams of their laser sights to land on the others, who were startled by the sudden threat.

"Sorry!" Julia gasped, lowering her weapon, "We didn't know what was coming at us."

"That's alright, young 'un." Coach said with a shocked laugh, "We ready to move?"

With that, they set off moving again, carefully crossing the planks that had been laid out as stupidly narrow walkways. Ellis almost toppled off into a deep looking pool of water but he was saved when Nick and Julia both grabbed his shirt to pull him back, which he thanked them for gratefully with a somewhat embarrassed laugh. Finding themselves back in the water again, the group quickly waded across to the shacks ahead, climbing up a wooden ramp which became rather slippery once Rochelle and Ellis had climbed to the top.

Coach almost fell on the way up, but he was grabbed by Rochelle and Ellis and then pushed up the ramp by Nick and Julia, who both then ended up slipping back towards the water. Thankfully, the couple took their near fall in good humour and found themselves chuckling as they staggered up the ramp after their friends. Rochelle couldn't help but find it cute that they were sharing that kind of interaction, and to see Nick smiling so genuinely and so warmly at Julia was rather endearing. Maybe the redhead was doing the conman some good, and vice versa. She seemed to be rather happy with him too. Within a few seconds, they came across a small plank bridge, which needed lowering in order for them to make progress through the raised shacks.

"Oh, for the love of God..." Nick grumbled.

"Just set it goin', boy." Coach said with a roll of his eyes, "We're all as sick of jumpin' through hoops as you are."

"The second we get outta this shack, I'm gonna set it on fire." Ellis said, taking his Molotov out of his bag, "Nick, you still got your lighter?"

Nick handed his lighter across to the mechanic, who took it with a grateful nod. Rochelle pulled the lever to set the bridge lowering, and the formerly quiet swamp suddenly became filled with the sounds of infected sprinting through the water towards the five survivors, their screams cutting through the air like scissors slicing through a sheet of paper. Thankfully, the bridge fell relatively quickly, and the group decided to split into teams, with Rochelle and Ellis at the back, Coach and Julia at the front, and Nick in the middle taking out whatever the others couldn't.

As soon as they were out of the first shack and halfway through the second, Ellis yelled that he was throwing his Molotov and set the house, as well as a lot of infected on fire. The group sprinted for their lives, their eyes scanning the mist-shrouded swampland for what could be coming their way. They heard the familiar squealing of a Spitter, which Nick was able to take out within seconds of spotting her. Julia and Coach found themselves confronted with a female Boomer, who they had to try and force backwards since they were quickly becoming overwhelmed with infected. Nick moved to try to get a shot in at her, but before he could, he saw her throw up all over Julia and Coach. Before both of them knew what had hit them, they were covered in green, disgusting, sticky bile, which temporarily blinded both of them and caused Julia to scream in pure horror.

Coach threw his bag and weapons to the dock, while Julia managed to kill the Boomer, joining him in dropping her supplies. Without hesitation, both of them jumped into the water, rolling around in it to try and rid themselves of the disgusting fluid, while Nick, Rochelle and Ellis rushed to offer them cover. They emerged soaking wet but clean, and the zombies were now running into the water, presumably chasing whatever traces of the smell that the Boomer's vomit had left behind. Swimming to land, the two were relieved to see the others grabbing their weapons.

Upon reaching a bank to climb up, they were greeted by Nick, who pulled both of them out of the water without hesitation. Since the zombies weren't letting up, Rochelle suggested they just make a run for it, and as Coach and Julia were given their weapons and belongings back, they broke into a run with the others, shooting anything that got too close.

"I'm sick to death of running!" Nick shouted over the sounds of the horde.

"We all are!" Rochelle yelled, "Now, move your ass!"

It was true. Everyone was sick of running. They were sick of _everything_. Having to complete the most stupid tasks just to get by some dumb obstacle, having to run for their lives every so often because the zombies just didn't want to give up, having to search every damn building they came across just in case they missed any important supplies... They all just wanted a permanent base to set up for the rest of their lives. They wanted proper beds, working bathrooms, decent food. Safety. It was all they wanted, and it all seemed to be so far out of reach that they were all getting more and more depressed each time they came across some new difficulty.

"Is that a safehouse?!" Ellis cried out, pointing to a building ahead of them.

"I dunno!" Coach panted, "Just haul ass! If it ain't a designated safehouse, we'll make it safe ourselves!"

They could see the building they were heading for getting clearer and clearer and the infected seemed to be too far behind them to catch up now. But, just as they thought they were home free, a snarl sounded from the right of them in the foliage nearby. Before anyone had a chance to react, a Hunter dove out from the bushes, hitting Julia right on the side and sending her barrelling to the floor, a horrified scream leaving her lips at the impact. Nick spun around in shock and horror, and without a second thought, he opened fire on the Hunter, thankfully not hitting Julia as it suddenly leapt away from her.

Throwing his rifle to Ellis, who caught it with ease much to everyone's surprise, Nick raced to Julia's side, dragged her to her feet and started to run with her. Fuck that Hunter. He wasn't even going to give it another chance to attack. They realised quickly that they had indeed found a prepared safehouse and as Nick and Julia rushed inside, Coach slammed the door shut, and he beckoned Ellis to help him get it barricaded while Rochelle and Nick sat a shaken Julia down to check her over.

"I'm fine." She breathed out, "It didn't get me."

"Good." Nick said, panting for breath, "I'm sorry I shot at you, Julia. I just didn't see any quicker way of getting that thing off of you."

"Don't worry..." Julia said quietly, "I'm just grateful you were there to save me."

Nick offered her a small, weak smile, feeling beyond relieved that he hadn't accidentally shot her. It worried him that he hadn't even considered the danger he'd put her in by doing that, but he was more relieved that she wasn't angry at him for his irresponsible decision. He knew that Rochelle, who was now gazing up at him with a sad smile, could see why he was worried and why he wasn't too pleased with himself. The look she was giving him told him, however, that he made the right call, and that at least gave him a little comfort. If he'd shot Julia though...

"Let's sit our asses down for a few minutes to catch our breath." Coach said, drawing Nick out of his thoughts.

There was nothing in the damn place now, since the two tables that had been against one of the wooden walls were now being used to barricade the door. The group decided to sit and wait in their bland, all-wood safehouse until the horde had gone. Coach and Julia were both soaking wet still, and Julia was clearly uncomfortable as hell, but there was nowhere for her to change her clothes to have some privacy, so she was going to have to deal with it for now.

Nick was surprised when he felt Julia pressing against his side, but when he could feel her shivering from the cold of the water, he put his arm around her carefully, allowing her to burrow closer for body heat.

"I'm cold." She complained quietly, "I'm really cold."

"There's nothing we can do about that right now, sweetie." He muttered into her hair, burying his face a little further into it to hide his mouth as he pressed a kiss to her head.

"I hate this..." She whispered, biting her lip.

"Me too." He said softly, brushing some of her wet hair out of her face as she continued to shiver.

Rochelle, Ellis and Coach were all quietly watching the exchange, feeling quite pleased that somebody had found some kind of happiness in this mess, and they all knew that no matter how Nick protested, Julia made him happy. He cared for her, worried about her, desperately wanted to protect her and from what they'd all seen, she felt the same things for him. They watched him pull her a little closer despite the fact that she was wet, clearly trying to give her some body heat.

The zombies continued to pound against the door for several more minutes until finally, they gave up on trying to get their food. Everyone seemed relieved that the bangs against the door had stopped, and as they relaxed against the walls of the safe room, enjoying the brief quiet they were now met with. After a few more minutes, Julia stood up, still shivering, and started to gather her things together.

"We need to move..." She murmured, "I thought the water would've been warmer."

"Nah, Jules. The weather's gettin' colder." Coach said quietly, "Ya gonna be warm again soon enough. It might feel pretty hot out here compared the weather ya get back home in Illinois, but don't be fooled. We're not that far from winter."

Nick got to his feet after that, as did Ellis, leaving Rochelle and Coach to slowly stand with them, preparing to move out again. They knew they had to be close to the plantation house now, and they were hoping to find some form of rescue there or at least some information as to how to escape from the swamp and to get on track to New Orleans. Watching Julia trying to hold her gun still as she shivered, Nick shook his head with an amused smile.

"You feeling any warmer yet, babe?" He asked her with a smirk.

"Very funny." She glared at him, "I'm so gonna shove you into the next pool of water we come across and see how you like it."

Normally, she wouldn't have said a statement so bold for fear of reprisals, such as a punch in the face, but she knew that Nick wouldn't do that to her. She knew that, of course, he could hurt her if he wished to, whether that be emotionally or verbally, but she knew he'd never lay a finger on her. He actually found the fiery side of her to be rather entertaining and even a little arousing, which he actually hadn't admitted to her yet.

"Oh, you want me wet too, huh?" He asked with a grin, letting out a gruff little chuckle when he saw her start to blush bright red, "Didn't know you were thinking about that side of things yet."

Julia didn't answer him this time. Instead, she threw the bar off the safe room door, sick and tired of being stuck in this swamp, sick of being cold and wet, sick of being on the run all the damn time, and sick of Nick now making fun of her and accusing her of having her head in the gutter. She knew it wasn't meant to upset her and she wasn't upset with what he was saying, not really. She was just _really_ fed up with the whole damn situation. She shoved open the safe room door, took a deep breath and set off walking, rolling her eyes so much that it was painful as she heard Ellis whispering to Nick.

"You shouldn't tease your girlfriend like that, Nick. It ain't nice."

"Shut the fuck up, Overalls." Nick hissed, "It was just a joke!"

"Yeah, well clearly it ain't funny to her." Ellis replied, walking in front to go and catch up with Julia, who was now rubbing her forehead with irritation as he approached her.

"Ellis, you don't need to be giving Nick a talking to about anything." She said softly, "He's just playing, that's all."

"I'm sorry... Ya looked pretty mad is all." Ellis replied, "I hate bein' teased sometimes and..."

"Don't apologise." Julia cut him off but not in an angry manner, "Really, don't apologise. It's okay, and I am very grateful that you want to stick up for me. I hate being teased sometimes too, but that's all it is. Teasing. It's nothing to worry about."

"Okay." Ellis said with a nod, "I won't ever let anyone get away with hurtin' ya, Jules. I wanna promise ya that."

Julia knew the mechanic meant well, and she appreciated his protectiveness and kindness, so she didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't necessary. She wanted to keep the faith that Nick wouldn't hurt her, although, given his clear love for the ladies, which she'd deduced from the lipstick on his shirt collar and the hickey on his neck, she did realise that she was getting involved with someone who wasn't used to having a more permanent partner.

"Thanks." She said sweetly, "Really, thank you. It means a lot to me."

Now that the sun had finally risen, giving the group a good amount of daylight to be able to see the potential threats ahead of them. Sitting to their left was a lovely, dirty pool of water, which brought a frankly _evil_ smile to Julia's lips. If karma was kind to her, somehow he'd end up in it. Unfortunately, in this instance, karma wasn't kind to her, and they made their way around the pool of water without Nick accidentally falling into it.

After killing some roaming zombies in the small collection of houses that they came across, they found themselves wandering up a dirt track towards a rather broken looking fence. Turning his head to the left, Coach's eyes brightened when he realised that they'd reached their destination. The house, shrouded in the glow of the mist mixed with the bright sunlight, stood menacing and tall in front of them. The scaffolding that stood against the right side of the building let the group know that they had a way in, but they couldn't help feeling apprehensive about what could lay ahead of them in that building.

"It's now or never." Rochelle murmured, "Let's go."

With that, the five of them set off towards the plantation house, trying to ready themselves for anything that could be inside.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

 **I hope you're enjoying this so far!**

 **Thanks for the continued support!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! I've had a LOT of work to do this past few days and it's only going to get worse for the rest of the week, so I'll try to keep writing and update when I can. Chapter twenty-six is complete, and I actually can't see there being that many more to write before we've reached the end of the fic. I'd like to thank **PhoenixLord27** for favouriting and following this story. I do have to enter a _**warning**_ at the point for _**mentions of domestic abuse and violence** _in this chapter.

I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and thanks to everyone who has read this and kept going with it so far. You're all amazing.

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-One -**

"This is so creepy..." Rochelle murmured, looking around the lower floor of the abandoned house with wide, fearful eyes.

A wheelchair was randomly perched in the corridor they'd just walked into, the breeze drifting through the open front door causing random creaks and groans that set almost everyone on edge. Coach and Ellis went to check upstairs, while Nick took Julia and Rochelle to explore outside. There was a huge gate blocking their way, with massive walls surrounding the large house that would prove to be a good obstacle for any infected that may come towards them from those particular directions.

"Let's see if we can find any way over this damn wall." Nick said quietly, drawing Julia in front of him, "You ladies stay close to me."

Approaching the large gate, the trio was confronted by the odd sight of a radio of all things, sitting on a small wooden table. Nick stood there silently, his mouth slightly agape as he pointed to the radio, turned around to look at the house and then back at the radio, his face a picture of comical confusion. It was almost like a scene from a sitcom, and both Julia and Rochelle were finding it very difficult to mask the amusement they felt at the look on the conman's face.

"What is this?!" He asked in a harsh whisper, "Who the _fuck_ put this out here?! There's no-one in this house! I don't understand!"

"I think your boyfriend's starting to have a bit of a breakdown..." Rochelle said quietly, leaning towards Julia to tell her while eyeing Nick warily.

"It's probably just a sign of his age." Julia said, waving her off with such a nonchalant look on her face that it was almost impossible for Rochelle to stop her grin.

Nick, however, looked deeply affronted by Julia's comment and stopped mid-rant to stare at her with disbelief and a look of horror plastered over his handsome features. Then, he relaxed and found himself able to smile. She really _was_ getting sassy. And he _really_ liked it. She smiled back at him in a reassuring manner and patted his arm, taking the opportunity to kiss his cheek and play comfortingly with his hair while Rochelle fiddled with the radio.

"Try not to get too worked up. Look at the big gun up there. I'm pretty sure the military put this stuff here." She whispered sweetly, smiling warmly at him, "If you keep having little freakouts like this, you'll go prematurely grey and I'm sure you don't want that."

"Would you mind if I did?" He asked her with an arched eyebrow.

"I find that the first signs of greying hair make a man look distinguished." Julia replied warmly, blushing a little as Nick seemed to approve of her comment.

They looked up as Rochelle's voice filled their ears, talking to anyone who might be there to listen as she pleaded for someone to respond to her on the radio. For a tense few moments, there was no response coming through to her, which caused all their hopes of a potential rescue to begin to fade. Suddenly, the radio crackled and then burst into life, startling Rochelle so much that she almost dropped it.

" _Who dat there?"_ A voice suddenly asked, _"Where y'all at?_ "

"We're at the big plantation house." Rochelle said, her chest heaving with her sudden panic, "There are five of us here."

" _Alright, now... Stay right where you is."_ The voice instructed with a jovial tone, " _I'll come for ya_."

"Thank you very much!" Rochelle cried, putting the radio back down with a grin on her face, "Let's go tell the guys."

They ran back towards the house, all of them looking slightly worried when they saw Ellis waving around a heavy machine gun which was on a stand, and the trio knew that if he accidentally fired the damn thing, whoever it hit would be torn to pieces. Nick, feeling somewhat worried for Julia's safety since he knew how stupid Ellis could be, screamed at the younger man to get his damn hands off the big gun, allowing himself, Julia and Rochelle to join their friends on the top balcony of the house in one piece.

"We've got help coming." Rochelle said breathlessly as she reached the balcony, "We just gotta hold out until our rescue arrives."

"Let's hope that ain't too long." Coach said with a sigh, "Always seems we attract the attention of every zombie in a five mile radius just as we're about to get outta wherever we are."

"I wanna be prepared for this, guys." Nick said sternly, "Nothing's gonna catch us out, okay? We stay focused and sharp, we keep our eyes out for each other, and no-one gets left behind."

"Alright." Coach said with a nod, "Ya heard the man. We all stay up here. I'll man this big gun while y'all pair off and take a side of the balcony each."

Nick and Julia took the right, while Ellis and Rochelle took the left. It was scarily quiet. Julia pressed closer to Nick's side, feeling a horrible sense of dread and unease settle into the pit of her stomach. Rochelle also seemed to be staying close to Ellis as though she was feeling what Julia was. It really was way too quiet. The only sounds they could hear apart from their own heartbeats was the soft song of the swamp critters and insects that surrounded the area.

"I hate this." Julia whispered, so quietly that Nick almost didn't hear her, "What the hell's going on?"

"I dunno." Nick whispered back, "Stay alert."

A horrifically loud roar startled everyone in the group, causing them to almost jump out of their skins. Coach tightened his grip on the heavy machine gun as the thunderous approach of a Tank could be heard to their right. However, the confusion began when Ellis yelled at everyone about the Tank now climbing over the wall on the left side of them. Coach aimed at it to start firing at it, but just as Nick and Julia were about to turn to fire at it as well, Nick caught a fleeting glimpse of pink as another Tank climbed over the wall to their right which had obviously been the cause of the thumping they'd heard seconds earlier.

"We got a second Tank up here!" He yelled as loudly as he could, realising that the others couldn't hear him over the sound of the heavy machine gun.

The Tank on the left was already taking a lot of rounds, which made them wonder how long it was actually going to last. The second their Tank came into sight, Julia and Nick opened fire on it, hearing it howl in pain as the bullets started to strike it all over its torso and face. Suddenly, it tore a slab of concrete from the floor, and before they had a chance to react, the huge chunk of ground was flying towards them. It hit one of the pillars supporting the roof above them, shattering into pieces which ricocheted everywhere, a rather large chunk striking Nick straight in the side of the head which sent him stumbling backwards, yelling out in pain.

"Nick!" Julia cried out, rushing to check him for injury.

"Shoot the Tank!" He told her with a grimace, "I'm fine! Kill the fucking thing!"

With the left Tank now taken out, Coach turned his attention to the one on the right, which was now starting to make its way towards the house. Rochelle grabbed Nick to check on him when she saw he was bleeding, while Ellis moved to help Julia and Coach kill the second Tank. Almost tearing her bag open, the producer fumbled about for her first aid kit, quickly opening it to try and find something to clean his wound with.

"Rochelle, I'm fine." He said, hissing as she placed an alcohol wipe against the cut on his temple.

"I just wanna clean this up and get it covered." She said quietly, "I'll be as quick as I can."

The sound of the Tank crying out in agony for the last time signalled the end of that battle, and Nick was thankful that Rochelle had indeed made quick work of his wound. He now had a band-aid on his temple, just big enough to sufficiently cover the small cut. It had bled way more than it probably should've, but then again, the smaller wounds always did seem to bleed the most and be the most painful.

There was a sudden whooshing sound which seemed to snap everyone out of their exhausted daze, and the group of five turned just in time to see the gate ahead of them exploding, splinters and bits of the wall and ground flying all over the place. There was a boat waiting for them at the end of a rather long wooden walkway, and they knew that this must be their rescue and it was now time to haul ass.

"Let's go!" Ellis yelled, grabbing Julia's arm, "Now!"

The five broke into a run back into the house, racing towards the staircase. A scream filled the air which signalled the approach of a horde, obviously attracted by the sound of the gate being blown to pieces. They ran like hell, feeling more and more anxious with each step as zombies began to scale the walls to the garden, appearing in droves of what looked like hundreds. Another Tank could be heard approaching from behind and Coach looked over his shoulder to see one almost swinging from the house's roof.

" _Go, now_!" He ordered loudly, turning around to shoot some of the oncoming infected as they sprinted towards the boat.

They were half expecting a Charger attack or a Smoker to grab one of them, but much to their relief, for once, they actually made it to the boat with relative ease, leaving the horde far behind them. They were comfortably aboard as their rescuer started the boat moving to take them to safety, and for the first time in a while, the five survivors were actually able to relax. Out of breath and exhausted, they each looked at one another and shared real, genuine smiles of gratitude, joy and God only knew what else at the relief of being rescued.

Nick looked over at Julia, who was clearly shaken up but relieved to be okay. She was still there, she was unharmed for the most part, and she was looking more alive than he'd ever seen her. Not caring one bit that the others were watching, he scooted closer to her, brought a hand to the back of her head and drew her closer, pressing his lips to hers.

Julia had been surprised by the sudden contact, but for once, she felt no anxiety or embarrassment about what was happening. She grabbed his dirtied dress shirt in her hands and pressed closer to him, returning the kiss with as much passion as she could just to let him know that she was as relieved as him that they were safe and that everyone was okay. Rochelle found herself smiling at the sight, while Coach was smirking to himself at the fact that Ellis didn't know where to look.

The sound of footsteps brought Julia and Nick out of their kiss, and they found themselves face to face with their saviour. He was a small, kindly old man with grey hair and the scruffy beginnings of a beard. His face was wrinkled and weather-beaten, his clothes shabby and tattered, but he had a lovely grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes that put everyone at ease in an instant.

"Hell, that was close, huh?!" He laughed heartily, "Pleased to meet y'all! I been hopin' to find some folks still alive out here."

"Thanks for comin' to get us." Coach replied warmly, "I'm Coach. This is Nick, Julia, Rochelle and Ellis."

He indicated himself and everyone in turn, who all gave their own greeting to their rescuer, whether that be a wave, a smile, a nod or a thumbs up. The man introduced himself as Virgil, and after a few minutes of discussing where they were headed, he was quick to offer them some food and drink, as well as some spare clothes, which the group politely declined. The offer of food was taken up so quickly, however, that Virgil had laughed for a good three or four minutes about it.

"If y'all wanna shower, I'm afraid I ain't able to help much with that." He said with a grimace, "I can drop anchor and y'all are gonna have to climb overboard and take a bath in that there river. But, if y'all ain't comfortable usin' the river, I could boil up some water in my bathroom sink and y'all can take sponge baths. I got plenty of nice, soft towels ya can use."

"Sponge baths sound great, Virgil. As long as we ain't gonna use too much of your water supply." Coach said softly, earning a laugh and a dismissive wave from the older man.

After bringing them some of his provisions, he told them to just let him know when they wanted to drop anchor so they could clean up a little. As the group and their friend got to know one another a little better, Virgil told them the heartbreaking story of how he'd lost his wife to an infected bite. It had been very hard to hear how much he missed her, and as he told his tale of woe, Nick found himself looking at Julia, wondering how he'd feel if anything happened to her. His answer came pretty quickly when he remembered that Hunter attack back at the gas station on the edge of the swamp.

His throat tightened, his heart lurched as did his stomach, and he felt a pang of pain shoot through him, causing him to swallow hard. Oh, yeah... If anything happened to Julia he'd be devastated. And while usually, he would've panicked about being so attached to another person, he felt abnormally calm. He knew it was okay to feel what he was feeling. It was just natural for a person to feel that way when they cared for someone; he knew that much to be true.

"I'll show y'all where ya can sleep. Unfortunately, I don't got much room below deck. There might be just enough room to squeeze the five of ya in there, but a couple of ya might have to sleep in close quarters." Virgil said with a frown, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry. That's not a problem." Nick said, putting his arm around Julia with a grin, "We're fine bunking in together if we have to."

Virgil smiled warmly, but it seemed to falter very briefly into sadness, almost as though he was remembering something. He shook it off pretty quickly though and offered to show them to where they could sleep. The lower deck of the boat wasn't particularly spacious, but Virgil had utilised it rather well. There were two sleeping spaces that were crudely shielded by tattered cloth curtains, each of which had double mattresses in them that were tightly cramped into the space. They sat inside wooden frames that ended just below the mattress' height, at least giving the impression that they were proper beds rather than just mattresses thrown on the floor. The last sleeping area was a booth-like seat next to a small, square dining table, which was readily taken by Coach. Ellis was happy to share with Rochelle, while Nick and Julia took the sleeping space opposite.

One by one, the group had a sponge bath, feeling grateful to at least be a little cleaner. A shower would've been preferable but this was better than nothing. Once clean and in their fresh clothes, Virgil bid them goodnight and announced that he was going back to driving the boat for a little while before dropping anchor for the night, leaving them to get some rest. The five survivors said goodnight to each other and moved to their separate sleeping quarters.

Heading into their room, Julia and Nick piled their belongings up in the corner next to the door, leaving them very little room to manoeuvre. Making sure their curtain was in place, Nick turned to find Julia sitting on the bed carefully. It looked comfortable enough, if a little small. There were two nice, clean pillows and thick covers which seemed almost luxurious in comparison to where they'd been spending their nights. Even Coach had been provided with a pillow and some blankets.

"I hate sleeping in jeans." The redhead muttered quietly, running her hands over her face, "It's so uncomfortable."

"Then take 'em off." Nick said with a shrug, "I'm not gonna look if you don't want me to. Just get undressed and get under the covers."

"A-Are you sure?" She asked, her brown eyes wide and full of uncertainty.

"Yeah." Nick nodded, "I'll even turn my back while you get into bed."

She smiled up at him, that beautiful face bathed in the glow of the small battery-powered lamp that was sitting in on top of their bags, and she started to ease up her long-sleeved shirt, which gave Nick his cue to turn his back. He didn't see any harm in teasing her a little as he went, so as he turned away, he slowly removed his shirt, allowing her to admire the muscles in his back rippling a little with the motion.

Her mouth suddenly went dry, but she shook herself back to reality and hurried to get her jeans off and climb into bed. Folding up her clothes, she placed them in the doorway and got into bed, leaning back against her pillow and pulling the thick, surprisingly warm covers up to cover her bra-clad breasts. She watched Nick look over his shoulder at her innocently, smiling at her rather deviously before turning back to her, unfastening his belt so slowly that she felt as though he was torturing her. She could see how he'd ended up being quite the ladies' man.

"I'll be done in a sec." He said quietly, his voice deep and gruff which Julia found incredibly sexy.

He unfastened his black dress pants at the same languid pace, glancing up at her through his eyelashes to see her staring at him with those big, dark, innocent eyes. Damn, did that turn him on... Finally freeing himself from his clothes, he piled his up next to hers and climbed onto the bed with her, grinning at her when she pulled the covers back for him.

It was this action, however, that was about to reveal to Nick the one part of Julia's body that she hadn't been ready for him to see. In the light of the lamp, he caught sight of what looked like scar tissue on the outside of her left thigh. Now, normally, he wouldn't have thought anything of seeing scars on someone's body. He had enough of his own for it to be normal to him. But _this_ scarring was different. It registered in his head as the letter ' _U_ '. Before Julia could stop him, Nick was easing the covers back to try and get a better look at her thigh, very much aware of the fact that she clearly didn't want him to see it properly.

The more that the light revealed of Julia's scar, the angrier Nick could feel himself becoming. Now, her conversation with Ellis back in that stupid tattoo parlour in Georgia made complete sense to him. Ellis had asked her if she had any tattoos, and she'd told him that she did, just not the conventional kind. The scar on her leg spelt out one word that sent a cold chill down Nick's spine. It read: ' _SLUT_ '.

"What's this?" He asked, his voice unbelievably calm considering how the quickly the fury in him was rising up into his throat from the pit of his stomach.

"Don't..." Julia breathed out, her eyes now tearful as she snatched the covers back from him, rushing to cover her leg up, "It's nothing... Please, just forget it."

How could Nick possibly forget that? His mind was reeling. What on earth could've possessed whoever had done that to her, whether it was her boyfriend, herself or someone else? Why the fuck would someone want to carve a word like that into someone's skin? How the hell could he calm himself down enough so that he didn't do something stupid and upset Julia?

"Did that son of a bitch do that to you?" He asked, his voice now a harsh whisper as he carefully pulled back the covers to look again, "I need to know, Julia."

Julia was dumbstruck, her eyes now reddened and tearful while her lower lip trembled violently, her mouth pressed into a tight line. Nick couldn't look at her. He'd lose it if he did. He knew in his gut that this was her ex's work and it made him so angry that he wanted to hunt the fucker down and beat his sorry ass to death. He heard a whimper and could see her nodding animatedly in his peripheral vision. He started to tremble almost violently with the rage he was trying to suppress.

" _Why_?" He asked with a growl, clenching his fists so tightly that he thought his left hand was going to go through the cotton of the covers, "What the fuck could you _possibly_ have done to warrant that?"

"I..." She let out a harsh breath that sounded like a sob, and Nick could see how much she was shaking when he caught sight of her brushing her hair behind her ear, "We were at the mall... I just... I looked at another man... And because he was looking at me too..."

She stopped speaking suddenly, her hands clasping over her mouth. She remembered that night too well. Kevin had been fine up until they'd finished eating dinner back at home, where he then chose to bring up what had happened in the mall, telling Julia that she needed to be punished for what he perceived to be flirting with someone else. All she'd done was happen to look up at the same guy that was looking at her and that was all it had taken to cause the horrific pain she was about to suffer. After calling her some of the most despicable and disgusting names imaginable, he'd pinned her down on the kitchen table and sliced the word into her leg with a large carving knife to serve as a reminder that her behaviour had consequences.

The first real sob that Nick heard coming from Julia seemed to actually be enough to start to slowly quell his anger. Something else inside him was starting to take over and replace that emotion, and that was his need and desire to comfort and protect her. She was vulnerable, half naked, exposed and the one thing that she was so ashamed of was on display for him to see. Carefully taking a long, deep breath, Nick tried to compose himself. He was angry, hurting for her and he was even a little upset. The thought of someone doing that to her was just unbearable to him.

He gingerly took the sheets back into his hand, wrapping his free arm cautiously around her waist. He didn't dare look at her face because he knew that seeing her so distraught would hit him too hard, and he was already dealing with too many emotions at that moment as it was, so he coaxed her a little closer to him, returning the covers to her body with such gentleness that Julia didn't know how to take it.

She felt so ashamed. She had _never_ wanted him to see that or to have to explain it to him, but it an instant it had happened, and now she could see that he saw her in a totally different light. And it wasn't a good one. Everything was ruined... Just as she'd finally started to gain confidence and rebuild some of her self-esteem, it had been torn out from under her once again.

"C'mere." Nick whispered in a softer voice than expected, his now spare hand moving to draw her closer, "It's okay."

He pulled her towards his body, carefully running his hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her. Her face was now pressed into his shoulder, her mouth still covered by her hands. She was shaking so badly, no doubt due to the trauma of remembering what had happened to her. Nick now found himself feeling rather guilty for indulging his own curiosity.

"I'm sorry..." He murmured, moving to run his fingers through her hair in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

"W-Why are you sorry?" She asked, letting out another mournful series of sobs.

"I'm just sorry." He answered her, his face now twisted into his own expression of sadness as she continued to cry, "Shhh..."

He continued to keep his arms around her, holding her tightly but not enough to hurt her. Sometimes, words were meaningless, and in this situation, he felt like there was nothing he could say to make up for what had just happened and for what she'd just revealed to him. Her arms were around him then, her hands gripping onto him almost for dear life, her face still buried in his shoulder.

"Shhh... It's alright." He said quietly, swallowing down the lump that had started to rise in his throat, "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Thankfully for him, she seemed to be calming down now, and thankfully for her, her initial fears that he had a negative opinion of her was unwarranted. His apologies and his clear wish to comfort her and calm her told her that he was angry and upset on her behalf and that the only bad opinion and feelings he had were towards her ex, not her. She wiped at her eyes furiously, taking deep breaths.

"Does this change anything?" She asked, her breath hitching slightly.

"Only makes me hate your ex more, but other than that, no." Nick promised her, brushing her hair out of her face carefully.

An idea suddenly came into his head. A way of maybe rectifying what had happened in some way so that she didn't have to feel ashamed anymore. And he knew it could be a while before the procedure could be carried out for her but if it helped to conceal what she'd gone through, it might help put the painful memories for her to the back of her thoughts rather than her being reminded every time she looked at her leg.

"You know when all this over, and we're settled someplace safe, and when the world's getting itself back to a state of normality...?" He began, cupping her damp face in both hands to brush the last of her tears away, "We're gonna go to a tattoo parlour. You can pick any design you want, and we'll get your scar covered up. Okay? I don't care how much it costs, how colourful it is, or what it is, just as long as its something you want. I'll take care of it."

He watched those big brown eyes fill with tears again, but he knew this time that it wasn't because of any pain he'd indirectly caused her. It was because he'd offered her a solution so that she didn't have to look at that painful memo that had been so cruelly etched into her skin whenever she did something as mundane as shaving her legs or dry herself off after a shower. If she could look down and see something that she'd chosen to put on her body, something that she loved and that she thought was beautiful, she already knew she'd feel so much better. Unable to speak, Julia simply leant forward and kissed Nick on the lips with such passion that he almost lost the ability to breathe. Pulling her closer, Nick guided her into his lap, feeling those smooth, slender legs wrap around his waist, his hands carefully cradling her to him as they deepened their kiss.

A sense of pride washed over Nick at that moment, and as he basked in the glorious knowledge that he'd just managed to erase some of the pain that this whole incident had caused, he tightened his grip on his girl, content to hold her and kiss her for as long as she wanted.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I know... There are no words to describe Julia's ex... And for those of you wondering if you'll ever get to see the infamous Kevin, you may have to wait a little while, but there is a possibility that he might appear at some point soon, whether in this story or the sequel. You'll simply have to read on to find out ;)**

 **Thanks for reading this so far!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! Please accept my most sincere apologies for the lack of updates and writing progress. I've been _stupidly_ busy over the past couple of weeks. My partner and I are adopting a new cat this week, and we've been preparing for that while I've been doing really long work days with virtually no breaks so I've just been too tired to write. Anyway, I'm actually only about three chapters away from completing the story I think, and then I'll be starting the sequel, which will be either completed or almost completed before I start to publish it so you're not kept waiting again. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for sticking with me so far!

 **Shin Maxwell:** First of all, no, that's totally not wrong of you to want Nick to give Kevin a beating. Nick probably wants to give the guy a beating too, but you may have to stay tuned for the sequel because Kevin may not appear until then. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Two -**

Letting out a soft sigh, Julia tilted her head to the right, allowing Nick to lean further into her so that he could kiss the soft flesh of her throat.

They were under the covers again, in the dark this time, pressed close together in a tender embrace that Nick hadn't shared with another woman in a long time. They hadn't had sex, although Nick had wanted to. Julia wasn't ready, and after the emotional conversation they'd had about one of the darker moments in her recent past, he wasn't prepared to push the subject any further. Julia's warm, supple body was pressed against his, her face half buried in her pillow as he pressed more gentle kisses to her neck.

"I wish we could stay like this." She whispered, smiling as he retreated a little so that he could look at her again, "I don't wanna go back out there."

"I know, baby." He said softly, "Hopefully we won't have to leave this boat until we get to New Orleans."

He opened his arms to her as she made a move to cuddle up to him a little more, and as she settled against him, he felt her right hand start to gently stroke lines up and down his bare back. Wrapping her up in his arms, Nick tried to relax and let himself enjoy this contact with her. He still wasn't used to it. After spending so many years just moving from woman to woman without a second thought, usually leaving in the early hours of the morning, cuddling wasn't something he was familiar with anymore. He hadn't even been that affectionate with his ex-wife. The feeling of Julia's hand against his skin, so gentle and so caring, was so soothing and calming that it was quite unbelievable to him.

"What is it?" Julia asked him, her eyes meeting his, "What are you thinking about?"

"How good you are with your hands." Nick answered, smirking at her wickedly.

"Oh, yeah?" She asked with a slightly nervous smile.

"Yeah..." Nick whispered, leaning forward to kiss her.

Their lips met, and like most of the kisses they'd shared, it began very gently and tentatively, like Julia was still trying to adjust and get comfortable with sharing this kind of contact with him. He had to admire the trust she put in him, considering everything she'd been going through up until the day they met. It must've been hard for her to remove herself from the mindset of fearing for her safety if she did the slightest thing wrong. He tried to coax her to deepen the kiss by brushing the backs of his fingers along her cheek before moving them to tangle in her hair, which caused her to let out a soft sigh and part her lips further for him.

He almost smiled. She was growing more confident and gaining more confidence in him as well. She trusted him to lead her. That meant a lot more to him than he thought it would. She broke their kiss first, drawing her lips into a tight line as she moved her hand to cup his cheek in a tender manner, her thumb stroking along his stubbled jaw as she then went to play with his hair. She seemed to really like his hair.

"We need to sleep, Nick."

Her tone was playful despite the sincerity it held, and with a very overly dramatic roll of his eyes, Nick gave in, pressed one last lingering kiss to her forehead before whispering gently in her ear.

"Goodnight."

Julia kissed his forehead in return and then rolled over so that her back was to him, allowing him to spoon her. Getting settled behind her, Nick kissed her shoulder and then pulled the covers a little further around her to keep her warm. Resting his head on his pillow, he let out a contented sigh and tried desperately to get some rest.

* * *

Julia awoke the next morning to find Nick had rolled away from her during the night. He was on his back with an arm behind his head, his other hand resting on his stomach. He looked so peaceful as he slept, his lips parted ever so slightly as he took slow, deep, steady breaths in and out, his chest rising and falling with each one. She leant across slowly, turning her body to face his as she then threaded her fingers carefully into his chest hair, pressing her lips to his temple. To her astonishment, his hand that had been resting on his stomach moved to take hers, keeping it held against his chest. He turned his head to his right, his lips now brushing her forehead.

"Morning..." He murmured, his voice thick and gruff.

"Morning, sweetie." She whispered, pulling back to look at him, brushing her fingers through his hair, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I was already waking up when you moved over here." He told her, turning on his side to hold her properly, "You sleep okay?"

"I woke up a couple of times during the night, but that's about it." Julia whispered, "How about you?"

"Slept like a log... Astoundingly." He murmured, "Coach's snoring, however, wasn't helpful when I was actually trying to get to sleep."

Julia smiled softly, nuzzling him gently as she pressed closer to him. She burrowed into his chest, inhaling that wonderful, natural scent that guys seemed to have in the morning. She sighed contentedly when he seemed to gather her into himself, moving to play with her hair. They wanted to sleep for a little longer, but just as they settled back down together, they heard a curse coming from nearby, and were then disturbed with a knock on the wall next to their room.

"Nick? Jules? Ya both decent?"

Nick groaned and sat up, the thick covers pooling around his waist. He encouraged Julia to lay back down, promising her he'd be right back, before standing up, revealing his dark boxers that clung so tightly to his frame that Julia couldn't help but stare at his rather beautifully shaped backside. She saw him pull back the curtain enough so that he could look at Coach, but Julia could barely hear what was being said. When Nick returned to her a few moments later, he got back under the covers with her and drew her into his arms again, settling down with her.

"We gotta stop off at some place to get fuel for the boat." He murmured, stroking her back slowly, "We're not gonna get there for a couple of hours so Coach told us to sleep a little longer if we want to."

"We have to leave the boat?" Julia asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Coach offered our services since Virgil's been good enough to offer to take us to New Orleans." Nick replied, tilting his head towards hers before pressing a kiss to her lips, "You wanna stay here for a little while?"

"Yeah." She replied with a grin, leaning forward to kiss him in return.

He flipped her over, keeping his lips against hers to muffle the squeal and the soft giggles that erupted from her at the action, moving to settle between her legs and playfully tease her for a while before they had to get up to make a move to get Virgil's diesel.

* * *

That afternoon, the group were all fed, dressed and ready to go. Virgil promised to lower the anchor just offshore and to wait for them to signal him when they had the diesel he needed. With their weapons and bags at the ready, the group of five looked towards the _Burger Tank_ that sat cosily at the dock, already able to hear the growling of infected coming from inside.

"What are we supposed to signal him with?" Nick asked.

"Oh, there are flares in the gun bag." Ellis replied, referring to the bag that Virgil had prepared for them while Nick and Julia were fooling around in their room.

"What gun bag?" Nick asked with a furrowed brow.

"You didn't grab the guns?" Ellis asked, his face a picture of exasperation.

"Me?!" Nick asked accusingly, "Who died and made me gun monitor?!"

"Hey, hey, hey..." Julia stepped between them, her expression one of worry and clear displeasure at the current situation, "Stop that. We have our original guns and we can find something else to signal Virgil with when we're on our way back. Now, we need to go and find this gas and make this job as quick as possible, okay?"

"Wanna hear a prediction?" Nick asked, ignoring everyone when they declined, "There's not gonna be any gas. Watch."

"Alright, Mr Pessimist." Julia murmured, easing him forward, "Come on."

Coach and Ellis led the way into the restaurant, starting to clear the infected out while Rochelle, Nick and Julia searched the kitchen area for anything useful. Nick found a pipe bomb and Julia found a bile jar, of all things, sitting in the refrigerator. Rochelle grabbed some medical supplies from the first aid cabinet which was mounted on the wall next to the refrigerator too, adding to her supply of band-aids and alcohol wipes.

"Let's get moving." Coach said after shooting the last infected dead.

As they left the restaurant, they were confronted with the most disappointing sight, but most unsurprising that they'd come across so far. A large flashing sign sat in front of them, and of course, it told them that there was no gas there, and they'd have to head towards _Ducatel Diesel_ which was God only knew how far away. Another trial, another difficult journey, another _nightmare_ lay ahead of them. Everyone was upset by this realisation, and while Nick was busy cursing, Julia ran her hands over her face which led Rochelle to put a reassuring arm around her.

"I told you." Nick snapped, "I said there wouldn't be any damn gas."

"Alright, alright, we get it." Ellis grumbled, looking unusually angry, "We're all pissed off too. We're gonna have to walk for it."

"Let's try and find this _Ducatel Diesel_." Coach said with a grimace, "Virgil will wait for us, I'm sure."

Nick scoffed, but as Coach set off walking towards the sign, he followed regardless, looking over his shoulder at Julia, who was looking at him with worry and distress plastered all over her face. He tried to calm himself down, knowing that him getting worked up wasn't helping her at all. His expression softened, and he beckoned her closer to him, trying to ignore the horrible twisting feeling he got in his stomach when she moved towards him with her head down.

"Let's go this way." Coach said, pointing to a pale wooden board that rested against a broken fence just in front of them.

Julia stepped past Nick to walk with Ellis and Coach, leaving him with Rochelle at the back of the group. Nick wasn't happy about that, and Rochelle could tell that he wasn't, so she gently reached out and patted his back in a reassuring manner, which he responded to with a half-hearted glare. They didn't really know if Julia was angry with Nick or upset with him, or if she just wanted to walk with someone else, and it was clear to Rochelle that the not knowing wasn't doing Nick any good.

"Here, Jules..." Ellis offered his hand to the redhead, who took it gratefully to let him help her up and over the ramp that led them into what was someone's backyard.

Nick helped Rochelle over, figuring that it was the least he could do, and jumped down behind her, trying not to focus too much on Julia. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, so he didn't want to constrain her movements too much like he had in the swamp. He'd only done so to keep her safe, but he knew it hadn't been the best thing to do. Coach was climbing up a ladder onto a trailer roof and was already shooting at infected in the next street as Ellis climbed up next, followed by Julia, Rochelle and then Nick. Using the truck parked up in front of the trailer, the group were able to get to the street safely and as Ellis took Julia to the left to clear out the infected there, Coach and Rochelle took Nick to the right.

"Ya can't watch her the whole time, Nick." Coach said quietly as Nick watched Julia and Ellis heading away from them, "Let's see if there's anything useful in here."

It was at that moment that the sky seemed to grow darker. A rumble was heard in the distance, bringing the five survivors to a standstill. Nick rolled his eyes. Of course a storm was going to come and make their journey twenty times harder. Fantastic. As the first drops of rain started to fall, Julia and Ellis flinched, with Ellis pulling his plaid shirt further around himself while Julia tried to shield her body with her faux leather jacket. Nick was glad he was wearing a jacket now, rather than having to walk around in a soaked polo. Coach had the foresight to bring his coat too, and was getting it out of his bag so that his light blue sweater didn't get wet.

"Let's make this as quick as we can." Coach said with a grimace, beckoning Julia and Ellis to join him and the others, "Come on."

Breaking into a jog, he and the others made their way down the street, taking out any infected that tried to attack them as they went. Nick instructed the group to keep an eye out for landmarks since they'd probably have to come back this way, so everyone was making a mental note of certain things that stuck out to them.

"Through the playground!" Ellis called as they reached the end of the street, pointing to a colourful play area which the zombies had taken over.

"Let's check out these houses." Nick called back, looking at the buildings nearby, one of which was still being built.

Coach opened the door to a house on their right, stepping into the darkened space with apprehension as the squealing of a Spitter could be heard in the distance. They moved through the house carefully, climbing the stairs to search the upstairs rooms for anything useful. The fizzing of the Spitter's acid was what Rochelle could hear right next to her on the landing, and as she turned, she saw the infected running towards her across the rooftops. She shot at her, thankfully getting her before she could gather up enough acid to spit at them, and watched with way too much satisfaction as the large zombie lay in her own stomach acid while it sizzled beneath her prone form.

"Nice shot, Ro." Nick praised her as he returned from a nearby bathroom, "I found this pistol in the bathtub if you wanna take it."

"Thanks, Nick." Rochelle replied sweetly, taking the gun from him, "Don't worry about Jules. I'm sure she'll be okay."

"I dunno." Nick answered with a deep sigh, a sudden feeling of unease and almost panic settling in his chest, "I'm not sure how much more of this she can take. It's like a fucking gauntlet out here. Jumping through hoops and dodging obstacles gets so tiring after a while, and I just... I hate to say it, but I don't know if she's strong enough."

Unbeknownst to Nick and Rochelle, Julia was in earshot, listening with a lump in her throat and a tightening sensation in her chest. Did Nick really think that about her? Was that the reason why he'd been so intent on keeping her close to him all the time? So he could stop anything bad from happening to her because he didn't think she was strong enough to handle herself? Was everything he'd said to her back in the swamp about her being able to hold her own a complete lie?

"Nick, that woman survived domestic abuse." Rochelle said, looking at him as if he was crazy, "And you're here questioning her strength?"

"She only survived that because her ex took his leave first." Nick said with a shake of his head, "He left her to die in that hotel, so the only reason she's still alive is that somehow, she didn't get eaten or attacked while she was out cold. And then she met us, and we've been saving her ass left, right and centre."

Julia's eyes were now reddened, welling with tears. Was this really his opinion of her? Did he really think that the only reason she managed to escape her relationship was due to Kevin calling the shots? Maybe he was right... Even gaining her freedom from her abusive partner hadn't been in her control. Her heart sank. Maybe it wasn't even worth trying to survive this mess anymore. The one person who she'd trusted so intimately both with her past and with herself didn't think her capable.

"Listen to yourself." Rochelle said with a look of horror now present on her face, rather than confusion, "You're panicking. Do you realise that? You're panicking right now, and it's making you say things you don't really mean. You know damn well that Julia can handle herself. She's saved our asses a few times before, you know that."

"I'm not panicking." Nick snapped in a harsh, but quiet tone despite the fact that he knew damn well Rochelle was right.

It was so strange, almost like he couldn't control what was coming out of his mouth. All he wanted was to keep Julia close where he could keep his eye on her. She'd come to mean a lot to him lately, and while that notion scared him a little due to the fact that he didn't get attached easily, it also made him freak out internally at the thought of not having her within reach, and he'd find any damn excuse to keep her near him, even if it meant making himself believe she was less capable than she actually was.

"Yes, you are." Rochelle answered him in a similar tone, "Julia might stumble, but she always manages to right herself. We all have those moments, Nick, and that's what you're having right now. Pull yourself together."

Julia couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled the door to the bedroom open, causing a look of alarm to spread across both Rochelle and Nick's faces. He didn't think she was strong enough? No problem. She'd _show_ him just how strong she was. And when the time came for her to do so, she'd make him regret those things he'd just said about her. She was determined to prove him wrong.

"Jules..." Rochelle's voice came out breathy and anxious, which Julia expected was down to the fact that she'd heard what they'd said, "Did you find anything?"

"No." Julia replied stoically, "I'm gonna search downstairs."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Nick asked, his face pale and his expression one of both panic and worry.

"I'm fine, thanks." Julia answered, keeping her head down, "You can stay here with Ro."

That was all the confirmation that Nick and Rochelle needed that indeed, she had heard what they'd been talking about. The second that Julia had disappeared out of sight, Nick raised his eyes to the ceiling in frustration, turned around and rested his forehead against the wall before banging it softly against the hard surface a few times in frustration.

" _Fuck_..." He hissed out through gritted teeth, "Okay... So, I might have been panicking... And she just heard everything we were saying..."

"Yep." Rochelle said with a nod, "You need to fix it. And you need to do it soon."

"You were saying stuff too." Nick pointed out angrily.

"Yeah, but nothing I was saying was negative." Rochelle snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nick rolled his eyes, his face twisting into a scowl. Rochelle was right. She hadn't said anything negative, but Nick had. It only just seemed to hit him at that time exactly what he had said and what she must've thought when he'd been saying it. Rochelle could see it register with him, and she saw the resignation and the disappointment in himself as he cursed to himself, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are relationships always this hard?"

"No." Rochelle answered him with a shrug, "If you're dating someone with baggage, they can get tricky, though. And you both have baggage, right?"

"I guess so." Nick muttered, looking up as Coach and Ellis returned from their search of another bedroom.

"Where's Jules?" Coach asked, unaware of what had just happened.

"Searching downstairs." Rochelle replied, "We'd better go see if she's found anything."

The group slowly made their way down the stairs, but to their horror, they didn't see Julia anywhere. At first, there was only a small amount of panic, but by the time they'd searched the rest of the rooms and realised that she'd gone out of the back door, which was now open, the real fear started to set in amongst the group, especially with Nick. They moved to check outside to make sure that she hadn't just headed into the street, but they were horrified to see that she wasn't anywhere in sight. What if a Smoker had taken her? What if a Hunter had dragged her off somewhere?

The group called to her collectively, looking around for any sight of the twenty-one-year-old. But, she was nowhere to be seen. Without waiting for the others, Nick broke into a run up the street, desperately searching for a flash of that red hair or the dark, navy coloured top she was wearing under that jacket. A door of a nearby house opened, and Julia stepped out with a pipe bomb in her hand, her gaze trained on the floor.

"Jules!" Nick cried with relief, "Thank God! We couldn't find you!"

"I was looking for supplies. Where were you?" Julia asked, her stare both cold, but full of hurt at the same time.

"We were looking for you." Nick told her with a grimace, "You scared the shit out of me. I thought something might have gotten to you."

"I can take care of myself." She said darkly, walking past him and down the porch steps back to the street before harshly shoving the pipe bomb into his hand, "Give that to Rochelle."

"Jules!"

Nick heard Ellis call to Julia from the street, his feet pounding as he raced towards her and hugged her, clearly thankful that she was safe. Nick turned around and moved to join the others, meeting eyes with Rochelle before shaking his head to tell her that his brief encounter with Julia hadn't gone particularly well. Coach and Ellis were both unaware of what had happened, but they knew something wasn't right. Julia didn't seem to want to be anywhere near either Nick or Rochelle.

"I'm teaming up with you two." She said to Coach and Ellis, "Nick could probably use a break from me."

"Come on, babe, you know that's not true." Nick said nervously, clearing his throat when he realised she wasn't going to answer him.

"Ellis, why don't you and Jules go and see if there's anything useful in that yard sale?" Coach pointed to the arrangement of tables and cardboard boxes further down the street, "We'll be right behind ya."

Ellis smiled, nodded eagerly and took Julia down the street with him, talking to her animatedly about something his buddy Keith once did at a yard sale, while she walked next to him, quiet and clearly with her thoughts occupied by something else. Coach turned to the other two once that Julia and Ellis were out of earshot and gave them both a rather disappointed look.

"Is somethin' wrong?" He asked them both, "'Cause that girl's gone awful quiet all of a sudden."

"Ugh..." Rochelle sighed with a roll of her eyes, unable to stop the guilt from starting to creep up inside her, "She overheard us having a conversation... About her... Nick was freaking out about how he didn't think Julia could cope with this whole jumping-through-hoops situation we keep finding ourselves in, and I was trying to remind him that she's stronger than she looks. And there were some comments about her previous relationship that she might have taken to heart..."

Coach's face became a picture of protective anger, and both Rochelle and Nick found themselves recoiling a little from him. They'd never seen that look on his face before, and they didn't ever want to see it again.

"What comments?" He asked, his voice almost as deep as the rumbling thunder above them.

Rochelle looked at Nick, who let out a frustrated growl and ran a hand over his face. He was beyond angry with himself, and he sure as hell didn't need Coach giving his opinion when he was already feeling so terrible because he knew damn well that Coach would instantly make him the bad guy.

"Frankly, Coach, it's none of your business." He said angrily, "The point is, Julia's now upset with both of us because she heard everything we said. I didn't mean what I was saying anyway, I was just..."

"Shut up, Nick." Coach snapped, cutting him off, "We need to work as a team. If someone gets killed because the three of you can't communicate..."

"No-one's gonna get killed for fuck's sake." Nick snapped back, trying not to get any angrier than he already was.

"You two had better fix this mess as soon as ya can." Coach said darkly, "Girl's fragile enough without stupid shit like this makin' it worse. She's had enough shit to deal with without havin' to listen to y'all makin' judgement calls about her capability in this group. Sweet Hosanna."

With that, the older man turned on his heel to go after Julia and Ellis, leaving Rochelle and Nick to follow behind with that horrid feeling that they both had experienced as children when they'd been called out for doing something they shouldn't have. The shame, for Rochelle, was near enough unbearable. Nick felt pretty ashamed too, especially about his comments regarding Julia's relationship.

' _Way to go, asshole_.' He thought to himself bitterly, ' _You're such a dick. You'd better fucking brace yourself, Nicky, 'cause your stupidity's probably just cost you the best thing that ever happened to your sorry ass. You dumb fucker..._ '

"Nick?"

Rochelle's voice brought Nick out of this thoughts, and as he looked up at the producer with a grimace, he broke into a quick jog to catch up with her, wondering how the hell he was going to make things up to Julia.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me so far, everyone! I really do appreciate it!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ** _Left 4 Dead 2_** or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Sorry again for the delay! When I write the sequel there'll be no danger of long periods of time between uploads because it'll be completed or almost completed when I start to publish chapters. I'm pleased to announce that I've almost completed this fic. I reckon another two chapters will do it, so it'll be about thirty chapters long in total. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I want to thank all of you for continuing to stick with me.

 **Shin Maxwell:** Thanks so much for reviewing again! And yes, ouch... Nick boo-booed somewhat. You'll have to read on to find out if he can fix it. ;)

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Three -**

Nick had never been so angry with himself before in his life.

How could he have said those awful things about Julia's former relationship? How could he have started to question her strength and her ability to deal with what was happening? Why the hell had he decided to do that when he knew that she was likely to be in earshot? He felt as though he was as bad as her ex. God only knew how hurt she was by what he'd said. How the hell was she supposed to trust him now, never mind forgive him?

He watched her as she stayed close to Ellis, her mind clearly on anything but the task at hand. As they passed through a dark house onto another street, the rain seemed to pick up its pace and was already starting to create large puddles on the ground ahead of them. They were all worried that it was going to flood, and if it did, it would make their journey even more dangerous than it already was. Wading through the water while trying to outrun a horde or a Tank didn't exactly seem appealing to anybody, so they were all silently hoping that the rain would soon pass.

The lack of infected that were around them was unnerving to say the least. It made them wonder whether the weather was keeping them all out of the way or if it was something more sinister. Thankfully, a safehouse came into view within a minute or so, giving the group a chance to get out of the rain before making a decision about what to do next. Once they were inside, Coach asked Ellis to help him gather up some supplies, while he asked Nick, Rochelle and Julia to head down the nearby stairs to see what was waiting at the exit.

Taking the hint that he was giving them, Nick and Rochelle did as they were asked, and Julia reluctantly followed, her head lowered and her bottom lip already trembling with the realisation that she'd now have to listen to Nick try and excuse what he was saying about her. Why Rochelle needed to be there, she didn't know, but she was sure she'd find out. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Julia found Rochelle almost right in her face, the older woman's expression one of worry and panic as it had been earlier. It was uncomfortable for the redhead, and she wanted nothing more than to be out of their way.

"Sweetie, I am so sorry if anything I said upset you." She whispered, "I was trying to calm Nick down. He was getting into a bit of a panic that's all."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Julia's voice came out stony and cold, and in response, Rochelle and Nick both slowly recoiled, unsure as to what to do.

Her lip was no longer trembling which told the rather wary pair that she wasn't getting upset, and she clearly wasn't in any mood to talk about what had transpired earlier in their journey. They weren't going to push the topic either, no matter what Coach's opinion on the matter was. Julia was now in control of this situation and when she felt ready to talk about it, they'd talk about it. Nick headed back up the stairs to tell Coach that there wasn't anything to worry about at the exit of the safe room and then had to explain to him that Julia was pretending nothing had happened, even though they all knew that she was aware what had taken place in that conversation.

"If somethin' happens to that girl..."

"Nothing's gonna happen to her." Nick said quietly.

"I told ya I'd kick your ass if ya hurt her, Nick." Ellis said darkly from his place near the supply table, "She's worth a million of you and ya know she is."

"Ellis, come on, man..." Nick sighed in a low voice, "I was having a freak-out, for fuck's sake. I didn't mean anything that I said, and I certainly didn't mean for her to hear us."

Ellis' eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, there was a panicked cry from Rochelle accompanying the sound of the safehouse door being opened followed by pounding footsteps. The three men barrelled down the stairs to find Rochelle disappearing around the corner ahead of them, screaming Julia's name frantically. Their youngest team member, unable to take it anymore, had broken free, sprinting out of the safehouse with the sole intention of getting as far away from her group as possible.

"Jules, wait!" Ellis joined in with the yelling, breaking into a sprint to try and catch up with their friend, who had disappeared into the sugar mill ahead.

Coach shook his head as he and Nick raced to catch up to Rochelle, listening intently for any signs that Julia might be in distress or danger. Ellis was now gone too, and the three older members of the group were now separated from their friends by heavy rain and poor visibility. Then, a horrible, familiar but very much unwelcome sound came floating along on the wind, causing fear and dread to settle in the pits of their stomachs. Julia and Ellis had run into the path of not just one, but multiple Witches. Their cries could be heard all around, and with the terrible visibility, there was a very big chance that Ellis and Julia could disturb one, or _all_ of them.

Heading into a derelict yard, Rochelle, Nick and Coach had to slow to a walk, turning their flashlights off. Thankfully there weren't too many infected nearby but the Witches were proving hard to spot. They were desperately searching for any signs of Julia and Ellis while also trying to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. Passing under the various conveyor belts and other pieces of machinery, they came across a small cabin-type building, where they thankfully heard Ellis' voice, which sounded unusually angry but also was obviously full of fear and panic.

"Why'd ya run off like that?" He was demanding, "Ya scared us somethin' awful, Jules!"

"I don't wanna listen to people making excuses for talking about me behind my back!" Julia was shouting, her voice unusually loud and laced with anger, "I'm sick and tired of letting people walk all over me and treat me like shit!"

Coach and Rochelle cast a look at Nick, who clenched his jaw as yet another wave of shame started to wash over him. Hearing Julia sounding so upset was horrendous to him. He didn't want her to be feeling that way at all and certainly not because of his stupid mouth. Cursing to himself, he cleared his throat and moved past both Coach and Rochelle in order to step into the cabin. Ellis turned to look at him with those abnormally angry, narrowed eyes, putting himself purposely between Nick and Julia like a human shield to offer her any protection she needed.

"Ellis, we don't have time for this!" Nick said with annoyance, "We gotta get that gas and get back to Virgil. This rain's getting worse."

"Then get to it." Ellis snapped, "Jules and I are right behind ya."

"You're kidding me, right?" Nick asked, his irritation getting worse as he realised that Ellis was actually not allowing him to talk to Julia at all.

"We're right behind ya." Ellis said again, looking past Nick at Coach and Rochelle.

This moment was enough to give Nick a glimpse at Julia's face. It was a deep shade of red, probably with anger and a hint of embarrassment, but her eyes were lowered to the floor purposely so she could avoid looking at him which felt strangely hurtful. Looking upwards at the ceiling in a fashion that screamed annoyance, Nick turned away from the pair before lashing out and kicking a nearby table, taking the front right leg clean out from underneath it. The loud crash caused Julia to startle, her hand immediately gripping the back of Ellis' shirt.

Panic and anxiety hit her like a wall and her knees lost a little of their ability to hold her up as Nick stormed out of the cabin, angrily telling Rochelle and Coach to get moving. The angry yell, the loud bang of the table crashing and the sudden impulsive act of violence from Nick gave Julia a horrible feeling of dread that settled deep into her stomach... Just like it did when Kevin used to get angry...

Ellis reached back to put an arm around Julia's shoulders carefully before he eased her forward and out of the cabin after them, bringing her out of the dark thoughts she was suddenly having about her relationship with Nick. She held her rifle tightly in her hands, trying to concentrate on anything but what had transpired so far on this journey. Things had been so great that morning. She and Nick had spent time together in those few hours making out a little and then falling asleep for short, fifteen-minute bursts and then waking again to kiss some more. It really had been wonderful, like one little silver lining amongst the hell that they were going through... And now, everything was ruined.

"Ellis, for God's sake, don't let her wander off." Coach murmured to the mechanic, "There's Witches all over the damn place, and we can't see too good in this rain."

"I won't." Ellis replied with a nod, "I promise."

When he noticed her falling behind, Ellis reached back and carefully took Julia's arm, pulling her along with him gently while encouraging her to keep going. He couldn't stop himself from glaring holes into the back of Nick's head though. Coach had explained what happened back in the first house they'd searched and it had made Ellis incredibly angry to think that Nick had said such insensitive things about Julia. He didn't know whether to believe that Nick had said those things while in a state of panic, although, for the conman to even admit that he'd been anxious and scared was pretty miraculous on its own.

The mechanic kept glancing worriedly at Julia, who was clearly distracted and not concentrating on what was going on around her. As Nick's combat rifle could be heard ahead of them along with the pained cries of infected, Ellis made sure to move Julia in front of him so that he could at least see where she was walking. The last thing they needed was for her to accidentally bump into a Witch. The easily recognisable, high-pitched gibbering of a Charger was enough, seemingly, to bring her out of her state of distraction. Spotting the large zombie up ahead, she yelled out its name, aiming her rifle as it let out that horrifyingly loud bull-like roar and began sprinting towards them with its enormous arm ready to take them out. Everyone was able to step out of its way, and as it bounced off a nearby pipe, everyone opened fire on it, taking it down within seconds.

"Good call, young 'un!" Coach praised Julia loudly over the falling rain, "Let's keep movin'!"

At the front of the group, Nick pressed on silently, his mouth drawn into a tight line. He knew he shouldn't have kicked that damn table. He was almost certain that Julia would've been upset by that. He was freaking out once again because of the fact that he'd just displayed his propensity for violence right in front of a domestic abuse victim, who happened to be his... Well... What was she? Was she his girlfriend? They hadn't exactly put a label on their relationship yet.

' _Focus on what's important, you idiot_.' He thought to himself, ' _You just flipped out and kicked the leg off a table while your formerly abused girlfriend... Yes, your damn_ girlfriend _, who's already pissed at you for talking about her behind her back, was standing there, clearly upset! You are the most worthless..._ '

"Nick?"

He looked back to see Rochelle moving to catch up with him, her face the picture of concern. He almost rolled his eyes. He and Julia specifically said that they didn't want anyone else's opinions or anybody interfering with their relationship, and yet _everyone_ was interfering and _everyone_ had an opinion about it. He was so fed up that he was sorely tempted to just throw his gun down and let them go on without him.

"What is it, Ro?" He asked with a sigh.

"I'm sorry..." She began quietly, "I don't know if I made things worse back in the safe room or not, but if I did, I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Nick waved her off, looking unusually glum, "It's my own stupid fault. I'm really not cut out for this relationship shit, y'know... I never have been."

"The ex-wife was a bit of a giveaway on that score." Rochelle said, clearly as an attempt at humour.

He managed a small smile in return, which eased Rochelle's brief anxiety at the thought that maybe she'd upset him this time.

"I dunno how I'm gonna fix this." Nick said, not speaking to her in particular, but saying it loud enough for her to hear it.

"Keep trying." Rochelle said softly, "And be patient with her. She's had a lot to deal with recently, and you know she has very little confidence in herself. She won't be upset about this forever."

"I'm really trying to be patient, Ro." Nick replied with a grimace, "I'm treading on fucking eggshells with her, and I don't normally do that for _anybody_."

"I know that." Rochelle said softly, "You've done pretty well so far, Nick. Relationships can be hard at times, but if you really care for each other, it'll work out in the end."

The crying of the Witches that had been growing increasingly louder as the group had been moving seemed to reach its loudest as Nick and Rochelle passed by another old, decrepit part of the mill. It was loud enough to stop Nick from being able to form any kind of response to Rochelle's comment. There was a Witch patrolling the area that they were just about to pass through, her clawed hands hiding her hideous face from their view.

"Shit..." Nick muttered, taking Rochelle by the arm, "Back up..."

As the others caught up to them, there wasn't time to discuss a plan since Julia passed all of them and immediately started to edge around the Witch. The others were pissing her off. Ellis was being unnecessarily protective, Coach was trying to be the voice of reason but was just sticking his nose into business that wasn't his, Rochelle was sucking up to Nick like there was no tomorrow, and Nick... There were no words for him. Not right now.

"Jules!" Nick hissed, his face a picture of horror and panic, "What are you doing?!"

Julia ignored him, keeping her eye on the Witch that was standing nearby before moving across near some pipework, her gun held tightly in her hands. Ellis moved forward next, following Julia's lead faithfully, which caused the redhead to roll her eyes. She was sick of being escorted everywhere. Coach ushered Rochelle and Nick to follow them and they quickly worked their way around the Witch, while Ellis and Julia could be seen walking up a conveyor belt behind her.

Just as Nick moved around the building they'd passed behind, he saw Julia and Ellis talking about something at the top of the conveyor belt. The vision of what appeared to be pleasant conversation was suddenly cut away as, almost in slow motion, Nick watched a long, pink, slimy tongue wrap around Julia's midsection and tug her with considerable force from the conveyor belt. Ellis screamed her name and bolted after her, which of course, led everyone else to follow.

Ellis could see Julia in the distance with one arm broken free from the Smoker's tongue as she tried to beat the creature into submission with the butt of her M16. It hit her in the face, causing her to drop the gun, but as a bullet fired from ahead of them, the Smoker released her due to being wounded, limping away from the group, no doubt to try and find a better spot to attack from. Julia looked up as she coughed in the thick, putrid smoke that the zombie's injuries had left behind and met eyes with Nick, whose Magnum was still held out in front of him, his face a mixture of panic and determination.

Part of her wanted to run to him and embrace him and to thank him for helping her, but then she suddenly remembered as the haziness of the moment passed that she couldn't really trust him now. Not with her emotions and her demons. He doubted her ability to deal with the situation and to survive it, just like he'd said that she hadn't really survived her relationship with Kevin. How could she trust him to support her now?

"We'd better go look for that Smoker." Coach said quietly, "Nick, you get Jules back on her feet."

Both Nick and Julia glared at the older man as he walked away with the others, wishing he'd just keep his nose out of their business. After a brief staring contest, Nick walked over to Julia, put his Magnum away and held his hand out to her to get her on her feet again. Not looking at him, Julia took his hand, allowing him to help her up. He knew that he had to say _something_ and to apologise for what he'd done and said, but he just found it so hard to do that he didn't believe in a million years that anything he said would make her feel any better.

"I know I've been an asshole." He blurted the words out suddenly, swallowing hard as she looked at him with an expression that was a cross between anger and shock at the outburst, "I'm sorry for the things I said about you. I didn't mean them, okay? I was getting a little panicky and trying to think of any damn excuse to keep you in my sight 'cause I worry about you _all_ the time. And I'm sorry I kicked that table back there. I shouldn't have lashed out, especially not in front of you after... Well... After what you've gone through."

"Kevin used to say that to me..." Julia murmured, her eyes slightly glazed as though she was wandering off into her own thoughts again, "He used to tell me he worried about me... It was a way to control me... And he used to tell me he didn't mean the things he said..."

"I'm not him." Nick said, his voice taking a slightly angry tone, "Don't compare me to that son of a bitch. I'd never lay a hand on you, and you know it. I'm not trying to control you, either. I..."

"You what?" Julia asked, her cheeks now reddened with both embarrassment and the cold.

Nick knew what he wanted to say, and he knew he needed to say it before she'd deny him the opportunity to. Taking in a deep breath, trying to ignore the cold of the rain and the chill of the wind that was starting to creep through the abandoned mill, along with the sobbing of the Witches ahead of them, Nick cleared his throat and reached out to carefully touch Julia's arm.

"I'm scared of losing you." He admitted, looking away from her, "You don't know how much you've actually impacted my life, Jules... It sounds so fucking corny, but you've changed everything. You've made me _feel_ again, and you've shown me what it's like to have someone actually give a fuck about me."

Her features softened at those words. She hadn't looked at their relationship that way before. She'd been trying not to push any kind of label on them or have any expectations because she didn't know how he was going to adjust to being with her, but to have him openly admit to her that she'd changed his life for the better over a few short days was really quite stunning.

"After what happened back in the swamp with those Hunters, I just want to keep you in my line of sight and I want you near me so that if anything happens I can be there to protect you." He said quietly, "I know that I said some really shitty things. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I've never had someone give me such a thoughtful apology before." Julia said quietly, blinking as the rain started to fall into her eyes, "I'm sorry too."

"You don't need to be sorry for anything." Nick said with a sad smile, "Honestly... I don't expect any kind of apology from you. You had every right to be upset. C'mere..."

He eased her forward to hug her, feeling relief wash over him when she wrapped her arms around him in return and squeeze him against her, resting her head against his chest, her hair soaking his polo shirt even more than it already was. Nick happened to glance up to see the others watching them with grins on their faces, and the sudden discomfort he felt at the others seeing him being so affectionate with Julia was enough to make him ease her off of him.

"We need to go." He said softly.

"If you feel better having me where you can see me, I'll stay with you." Julia said, offering him a weak smile, "By the way... Seeing the sensitive side of you is nice. I'd like to see it more."

"I guess I can try." Nick said, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks at the thought of her mentioning his sensitive side, "Let's go."

As they approached the others, they were met with warm smiles of relief. Coach asked if they were good now, and they both agreed that they were, but Julia couldn't hold back her upset at everyone's interference and asked the group to let her and Nick deal with any problems they had on their own and in their own time. It was hard enough adjusting to a new relationship for both of them as it was, without the others sticking their noses in and being more than unhelpful. They continued to make their way through the nearby area, avoiding the crying Witches while trying to take out threatening infected that kept charging at them from all sides of the area, making it rather tense since there were a few close calls where the survivors had almost hit a Witch or two.

"Shit, I'm gonna start cryin' in a minute..." Ellis murmured looking around and the various crying females who wandered aimlessly nearby, "Nick, did ya ever see so many Witches?"

"The last time I saw this many crying women was at my wedding." Nick replied with a smirk.

Rochelle and Julia both rolled their eyes in unison, while Coach shook his head with a soft, amused grin. They soon came to a big puddle of water that separated them from another large, derelict part of the mill, but the group didn't hesitate this time before starting to walk through it. The rain was already soaking them through and they knew there was no other way to cross to the other side, so what was the point in waiting?

They moved carefully, creeping by a Witch who was heading through the water, her sobs seemingly so much louder and much more mournful than the others. The sadness was starting to infect the others now, with Ellis, in particular, looking glummer than the others had ever seen him. Julia was watching the Witch worriedly, and it wasn't out of concern about being attacked.

"Do you think they know?" She asked Nick quietly as they reached the mill, "You know... Do you think they know what's happened to them?"

"I don't know, babe." Nick murmured, easing her forward, "Let's hope they don't, huh?"

"Let's get up high." Coach said quietly, "We might get an idea of where we are and where we're goin'."

"These stairs aren't very safe." Julia said with a grimace, "We should be careful."

After reaching the third storey, the group moved to the far side of the building, and amongst the rain and the mist, a huge sign which read, ' _Ducatel Diesel_ ' could be seen on the other side of a cane field at the back of the mill. Nick spotted an elevator that could take them to the lower floor.

"I'm gonna hit this button... Let's just hope this doesn't attract any unwanted attention." Nick said, rolling his eyes as his hand hovered over the switch, "But we all know it's gonna... 'Cause that's just our luck."

He hit the button, and as the elevator kicked into life and began its ascend towards them, there was an all too familiar scream that came from all around them, echoing over the rumbling thunder and the pouring rain. Every zombie in the area was racing towards the source of the noise, and as soon as bodies started to charge up the stairs towards them, all five survivors started hoping and praying that the elevator would be with them sooner rather than later.

"They're coming..." Rochelle said worriedly, raising her AK-47 with a grimace.

The sound of neighing came from behind them, and just as Nick turned around to look for the oncoming Jockey, he was pounced by one that had been climbing up the elevator shaft. It started to drag him to the right, laughing wildly as it dug its fingers into his scalp.

"Get this thing off my back!" He yelled angrily, trying to regain some control over his movements.

Coach swung around, using the butt of his shotgun to hit the Jockey off of Nick's back. It stumbled to the ground with some force but managed to swing itself back around and launch itself at Coach instead, who managed to duck out of the way. Amazingly, all that Nick and Coach were then met with was the sight of a denim-clad leg sticking out, a black-booted foot kicking the Jockey so hard that it fell from their floor of the sugar mill, crashing to the ground with enough force to kill it instantly. Julia was now standing there, a look of anger plastered on her face as she moved towards the ledge that she'd just kicked the Jockey from to make sure it was dead.

"That'll teach you to ride my boyfriend, you son of a bitch." She growled, watching with relief as the elevator finally reached them.

Quickly killing the last of the infected, Ellis and Rochelle made a run for the elevator while Coach and Nick followed, with Nick pulling Julia along with them by the arm. Once they were inside, Ellis hit the buttons to close the doors and set the elevator descending this time, and once they were locked inside the metal box, everyone seemed to relax momentarily.

"Nice save with that Jockey, sweetie." Nick said quietly, "I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing." Julia replied with a grin, "Besides, it felt pretty good to kick its ass."

Once the elevator came to a stop, everyone shared concerned looks with each other as the cries of Witches continued to echo around them, and they tried to brace themselves for the awful, but hopefully short task of having to try and navigate the cane fields ahead.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading this so far!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! Thanks for sticking with me so far! Great news! I pushed through last night and this afternoon, and I've actually finished the fic, so now there'll be a daily update until the last chapter is published. I'm also making a start on the sequel, so hopefully, it won't be too long before I publish that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Shin Maxwell:** Nick _is_ a silly man sometimes, I totally agree! Thanks for reviewing again! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Four -**

The sobbing was now unbearable.

As they moved slowly through the downpour and the enormously thick sugar cane field, Coach, Ellis, Julia, Nick and Rochelle were being driven crazy by the numerous Witches that were walking around in their vicinity, their sobs, wails and cries becoming more and more like torture with every passing second. At the front of the group was Coach, while Rochelle was close behind, followed by Nick and Julia, with him holding her hand tightly, and then Ellis at the back, who Julia was keeping a very close eye on.

"Keep moving!" Coach instructed over the ever howling wind, "Keep your eyes on that sign!"

It was getting colder, and the wind had been growing steadily more violent, along with the rain, which the group were desperate to get out of. They were focussing on their goal, which for the time being was getting the gas, getting back to Virgil, and then finally being able to get warm and dry before, at long last, they'd touch down in New Orleans. For some reason, the rain seemed to be getting colder, and all of them were starting to shiver, especially Julia and Rochelle.

Julia couldn't help but marvel at the strength of Nick's hold on her hand. He was gripping onto her almost for dear life, his hand clasped around hers and her arm tucked under his in a protective manner to keep her close to him. After their talk about his reasons for trying to keep her in his sights, Julia had promised herself that she'd stay with him, no matter what. If it gave him peace of mind, she was happy for him to shadow her for the rest of their journey, even if it did feel a little confining to her.

"There's the gas station!" Coach said gleefully, "We made..."

"AAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!"

The scream of a Tank coming at them from the right was so loud that the girls and Ellis let out yelps of shock, and as they broke out of the cane field, they were confronted with the large zombie barrelling towards them at alarming speed from the right of the gas station. They started to attack it with round after round, scattering to surround it so that it took bullets from every angle. Amazingly, despite it hurling concrete around like its life depended on it, it didn't manage to hurt anybody. It collapsed dead in the middle of the road after about a minute or so of gunfire, and the group rushed around it to get into the gas station to find the diesel that they needed.

Once inside a storeroom, which also happened to be a safe room, they slammed the door shut, raided the shelves looking for ammo and medical supplies, and then they looked around for spare cans of diesel which had been stored in a small closet within the storage room. There were six cans, so it was decided that they'd take five, and Coach volunteered to carry the sixth can on his back as well, reassuring the group that he could bear the extra weight. It was a bit uncomfortable trying to attach the cans to their backs, but after fashioning some straps from some supplies in the storage cupboard, everyone was able to carry their can of diesel securely.

"We all ready to go?" Rochelle asked as everyone tried to gather their nerve to head back out, "It's gotten awfully dark outside..."

"Then we need to be more careful." Nick said with a grimace, "This storm's getting really bad, so for God's sake stay close to each other. If visibility becomes too poor, we link hands or just try to grab onto the person in front. That way we don't leave anyone behind."

"I like that idea, Nick." Coach said softly, "We need to keep our eyes on each other and try to keep each other safe. It's getting' real bad out there."

"Then let's go before it gets any worse." Julia said quietly, moving to lift the bar from their safe room door.

Stepping out, she saw just how dark it had actually gotten, and her heart flew into her throat. She felt Nick's hand on her shoulder, and he squeezed gently, encouraging her to continue moving while trying to reassure her that it was going to be okay. Nick knew deep down that it might not be okay, given the severity of the weather conditions that they were now being faced with. Once back on the gas station's forecourt, it was easy to see how bad the flooding was getting. The road was almost submerged, and the cane field across from them was actually waterlogged, which would make crossing it to get back to the elevator incredibly difficult.

As soon as they managed to get part way into the cane field, the wind suddenly picked up, screaming in their ears as the rain pelted their faces, soaking them through almost as if they were standing under a shower. Since they could barely see their hands in front of themselves, they chose to stop, put their weapons away but keep their sidearms at the ready, and take hands, with Julia at the front, Nick behind her, followed by Ellis, then Rochelle and then Coach. The redhead led them slowly through the cane field, knowing full well that she couldn't hear anything if it was approaching. Thankfully, the storm seemed to be keeping the zombies at bay for the most part, and they didn't really encounter any trouble until they got to the other side of the cane field.

A Spitter was climbing down the elevator shaft towards them, which Julia killed within seconds, leaving the body to fall gracelessly and hit the floor with a sickening crack, a pool of acid now bubbling around it. The group waited for it to dissolve, everyone shivering in the cold and wet, despite Nick, in particular, trying to hide the fact that he was actually shivering. Thankfully, within a few seconds, their path was clear, and they huddled inside the elevator, hitting the button to head back up to the mill. Julia pressed close to Nick, her body shaking so much he didn't think she'd be able to shoot straight.

"You're from Illinois. You should be used to cold weather." He said with a smirk.

"Shut up. I get cold really easily." She said with a grimace, "I couldn't cope with the cold back home either."

"The sooner we get warm and dry, the better." Coach said with a sigh, "We're gonna end up gettin' sick at this rate."

The elevator reached the top, opening up to reveal the darkened mill, which only had the odd zombie walking around its floors, allowing them the chance to slip by without drawing any attention. However, the more childlike crying that Witches seemed to emit at night could be heard above the sounds of the pouring rain and the howling wind. As the group headed down to the floor below them to try and escape without crossing the water, they spotted the Witch in question, sitting not too far from the large water tank they were going to attempt to climb.

Nick led the way, which involved jumping from a walkway onto a rather unstable looking flat roof of a portable cabin. Julia followed him, allowing him to catch her as she jumped onto the roof as well, but the creak it gave as her weight was added to it was far from reassuring. Nick then moved towards the large tank ahead, spotting a bright yellow ladder that would enable them to climb to the top of it. He made the jump from the roof to the ladder, grabbing on with one hand and hissing as his shins banged against the metal rungs, leaving him annoyed that he was probably going to be bruised.

He climbed carefully to the top, moving slowly so as not to slip since the rungs were wet with the rain, and he waited patiently, encouraging Julia to come next. Ellis was already on the portable cabin's roof, waiting for Julia to get onto the ladder so that he could help Rochelle across and send her that way too. Julia also hit the ladder with a bang, and as she almost reached the top, she slipped, desperately clutching onto the sides of the ladder to try and stay up, rather than falling into the water and disturbing the Witch below. Nick helped her up to the top and as Rochelle came next, Julia stood guard while Nick helped Rochelle up there with them as well. Ellis made the trip with no issues, but poor Coach was the one who happened to land awkwardly on the ladder, slipping and falling into the water below.

The Witch's cries stopped. All that could be heard as she slowly turned to look at him was the rain, the rumble of thunder that happened to be rolling by, and the howling of the wind. Coach eased himself up and onto his feet, trying not to panic as the Witch continued to silently stare at him, just like the one that had stared at Ellis and Julia in _Whispering Oaks_. He carefully edged away from her and started to climb the ladder, moving quicker as he heard her starting to growl.

"Don't rush!" Julia called to him, her voice hushed, but full of urgency, "She'll calm down again in a second when she realises you're not a threat!"

Taking a deep breath, Coach continued to climb with speed, but also with care, and as he reached the top of the tank, the group moved along a walkway and onto the top of another enormous water tank, leaving the Witch to cry alone in the water below. They managed to use the long, thick expanses of pipe to make their way back across through the decrepit mill, and thankfully, the severity of the weather seemed to be keeping the mutated infected at bay. Once they got back to the entrance to the sugar mill, everyone finally could breathe a sigh of relief. While it had been a perilous part of their journey, it had been a very quiet and mostly peaceful one.

Re-entering the safe room that Julia had burst out of earlier in her upset, the group closed the door behind them, barricaded it as quickly as they could and then started to collect the remaining supplies that they'd left behind on their way through the town earlier in their journey. A sudden gasp from Coach caught the group's attention, and as he eased the bar from the safe room door and pushed it open, they found themselves confronted with rather deep flood water, leaving some of the houses they'd passed earlier, flooded up to their porches. Thankfully, their tall foundations had kept them from being seriously damaged by the water.

"Let's go across the roofs!" Nick said, grimacing as the storm chose this moment to get worse, "Stay close!"

He pulled Julia in front of him, who stepped out first, shooting at the few infected that were wandering around in the water. Climbing a step ladder onto a nearby garage, Julia got onto its roof, standing guard as her comrades climbed up to join her. They ran carefully across the rooftops, leaping from one to the other while trying to navigate their way through the flood, looking for vehicles or items they could use as platforms to remain as dry as possible. Within a few minutes, they found themselves back at the playground.

"Almost there!" Ellis panted as they waded through the water, all of them now starting to grow very tired and absolutely sick of being soaking wet, "I bet that house we passed on the way in is nearby!"

It transpired that it was, and just as they were about to reach it, the storm picked up again, giving them more reason to push forward and try to get inside. Ushering everyone through the steel doorway, Coach was suddenly met with the sight of an approaching horde of infected, followed by a Smoker and a Charger. It was a tense few seconds to get everyone inside, and then, slamming their new safe house door shut, everyone rushed to barricade it, grateful that the house had been incredibly well boarded up and barricaded by its former occupants.

While trying to ignore the pounding of the zombies on their safe house door, the group of five explored the house. It was clearly a small family home. The living area was very small, and the kitchen was too, but it had three bedrooms and a bathroom which they hoped had running water. There was a double bedroom and then a further two single bedrooms, and after more exploration, an airbed was discovered in one of the closets which meant that everyone had something comfortable to sleep on.

"We should stay here tonight." Coach said quietly, "Virgil's probably expectin' us to, given this storm."

"I'll go see if the bathroom's working." Rochelle offered, "A sponge bath and a change of clothes will fix us up just fine for now."

Everyone took a moment to put their supplies down and get their breath. There was a sudden, celebratory whoop of joy from the bathroom, as Rochelle came running out with what the others thought might even be tears in her eyes.

"Guys... We have hot water..."

" _What_?!" Everyone asked, their faces a look of complete shock.

"We have working hot water! We can take a shower!" Rochelle let out another joyful laugh and clapped her hands together, "I'm going first!"

One by one, the group took their first hot shower in days. They washed their hair, the girls shaved their underarms and legs, Ellis got rid of his five-o'clock shadow that had started to make its unwelcome presence known on his young face, and Nick even had a quick shave, since his facial hair was growing thicker too. Watching him emerge from the shower in clean clothes with messy, wet hair was rather amusing for the others, but once he'd dried it a little on the towel he was using, it seemed to settle down against his head again, rather than sticking out and up in all directions. He did comment that he'd found some hair products in the bathroom, so he'd be able to slick it back again later, but this only seemed to fuel the fire and everyone had a quiet giggle at his expense.

Coach handed Nick a Meal-Ready-to-Eat, which was pasta and vegetables, and the group sat around the living space with nothing but the dim light of a camping lantern and the sounds of the storm accompanying them. Nick and Julia were on the couch, with Julia sitting in Nick's lap, which allowed Coach to sit on there with them while Ellis and Rochelle took the armchairs.

"So, are we gonna take it in turns to keep watch tonight?" Nick asked, supporting Julia as she leant forward to put the packaging that their meals had come in on the coffee table.

"Nah, this place is barricaded like Fort Knox." Coach said with a sigh, "We all need to rest tonight."

"So, we're literally a two-minute walk away from the gas station right now?" Rochelle asked tiredly.

"Yeah. And I know how we're gonna signal Virgil." Coach said, taking a drink of water, "We're gonna light up that sign at the _Burger Tank_. I don't see the point in us doing that until we're fully rested. It's gonna draw in a hell of a lot of unwanted attention."

"Yeah, I'd rather be fit for the fight." Julia agreed, taking a drink of her own water, "I'm exhausted."

"Me too." Rochelle agreed, standing up and stretching her arms above her head, "I'm gonna turn in for the night. Goodnight, guys."

Everyone wished Rochelle the sentiment in return, and as she picked up her gear to head to bed, Ellis decided to call it a night too, announcing that he was going to get the airbed inflated in the room he was going to share with Coach. Then, Coach wanted to hit the hay too, which left Nick and Julia on their own. Once everyone had disappeared, Nick turned to Julia, who was still looking in the direction that the others had wandered off in.

"You doing okay?" He asked her quietly.

"Yeah." She replied with a warm but tired smile, "Just exhausted. You holding up okay?"

"I'm fine." Nick murmured, leaning closer to her with a frankly devilish glint in his eyes, "Wanna go to bed?"

"Not yet." Julia whispered, grinning brightly as he kissed her, "I wanna talk for a while. We barely know anything about each other."

"Talk?" He asked with an arched eyebrow, "Okay... I guess we can talk a little. What do you wanna know?"

They talked for well over an hour. Julia talked about her childhood and some of the amazing places she got to see as a little girl. Nick talked about some of the places he'd seen as he'd gone around the States gambling, and he opened up to her about how he met his ex-wife and how their marriage had broken down. Julia found out that Nick didn't have a favourite colour, but that he did prefer blue and black above other colours. Nick found out that Julia's favourite colour was green, and that most of her wardrobe back home had been in varying shades of green. They talked about the music they liked, their favourite movies and they even talked about their dream cars.

Julia got talking about what her old job had been like, and some of the shit she'd had to deal with on a daily basis from some of the customers she had to serve. Nick talked about the one time in his life when he'd tried to have a steady job and how his boss had pissed him off so much that he'd quit halfway through his first day. They talked about their different experiences in school and found it amazing how much difference fourteen years made between the education they received and how they both found life at school to be.

When Julia opened up to Nick about why she and her parents didn't speak any more, he couldn't help but feel angry on her behalf. She hadn't been too upset when she'd been talking about it, but that part of her life still clearly caused her some serious pain. They then got onto the subject of former partners with the exceptions of Nick's ex-wife and Julia's ex-boyfriend, and when Nick started to tell her a story about when he thought he'd gotten one of his high school girlfriends pregnant, Julia managed to get up the courage to discuss the very delicate matter of her miscarried baby with him.

It had angered but certainly hadn't surprised Nick to discover that Kevin had been the one responsible for Julia losing her baby. He didn't ask too many questions because he knew she'd tell him all that she wanted him to know, and even though she became a little tearful, she admitted that part of her was grateful that her baby hadn't had to be born into this mess or into the mess of a violent, abusive relationship. She immediately recoiled in horror at her own opinion on the matter, but Nick tried to reassure her that it was okay to be thankful that the baby hadn't been born into further suffering.

It felt good to get that dark part of her recent past off her chest. It was something that she'd planned on telling him about when the right time came, but it appeared that the opportunity had presented itself much earlier than she thought. Changing the subject to discuss nicer things, Julia asked Nick if there was one destination in the world that he was desperate to see before he died. He admitted that he wanted to see the Maldives at least once in his lifetime, while Julia wanted to visit the pyramids in Egypt.

It wasn't too long before they were both ready to head to bed, and as they got up from the sofa, Julia took his hand and started to lead him towards their bed for the night, her other hand holding onto the small camping lantern. Nick got a strange feeling, almost as though he knew what she was hinting at by pulling him along after her like that. She kept glancing over her shoulder at him with a hint of embarrassment but with her teeth biting her lower lip, almost as though she was trying to be... _Seductive_? Was that the look she was going for? It was working, Nick knew that much, but he didn't quite know whether that was her intention or not.

Once they got to their door, they made their way into their room, where their belongings were already sitting. Unlike the others, Julia had been quite the little homemaker and had already made up the bed and moved their bags and weapons inside their room. Nick couldn't help but smile a little at that. As he closed the door, he noticed Julia moving to stand behind him. Unbeknownst to him, she'd spent their time talking trying to work up the courage to actually take their relationship to a new step. She'd been thinking about how close they actually were to death. One wrong hit from a Tank or once accidentally disturbed Witch could be enough to kill them. They may not have a lot of time left, and she knew that Nick had been wanting to push their intimate relationship a little further, so she was prepared to give herself to him. Any time they had together like this wasn't to be wasted.

When he turned, he was faced with Julia who was red in the face and looked a little panicked, but when she reached up suddenly to take his face in her hands and kiss him, he started to understand why she was looking so flustered. He gripped her hips, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to let her know that he _really_ appreciated what she was now doing. She let out a small moan into their kiss, breaking away from him to start unbuttoning his dress shirt in an almost frantic manner.

"Hey..." He whispered gently, "We've got the whole night, okay? You can slow down. Take your time."

"Sorry..." She laughed quietly and sheepishly.

"It's alright." Nick laughed too, trying to ease her nerves, "We can go as slow as you need us to. No pressure."

"You're too good to me." She murmured, biting her lip as he took her face into his hands this time.

"Shhh..." He whispered, "Enjoy the moment."

It actually felt good to have a pressure-free period of intimacy, where there actually wasn't any expectation, although he did have a good idea now of what Julia's intentions were. He was so used to having fast, raunchy encounters that it was nice to not have that necessity or urge to rush things. Besides, this could be a difficult thing for Julia to actually get through, and while he didn't want to make her do anything she didn't want to, and while he didn't want her to feel any discomfort, he knew that taking things as slowly and steadily as possible was the best thing to do.

With this in mind, Nick carefully brought her shaking hands back to his shirt, allowing her to hold onto him as their lips moved in deep, passionate, but slow kisses. He then steadily started to walk her back towards the bed, keeping a hold of her to ensure that she didn't fall over. She could sometimes be a little clumsy, as he'd seen already. Stopping at the side of the bed, he kicked off his dress shoes, while Julia sat down to take off her boots.

She took off her hoodie and let it fall to the floor beside them before moving onto the bed, settling against the pillows. The camping lantern, which she'd placed on one of the bedside tables as Nick had been closing their door, gave the room that wonderful glow which seemed to make it feel cosier, and it bathed her still-bruised skin in a warm glow that made her appear all the more beautiful.

A flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by a loud crash of thunder, but it seemed to go unnoticed by both Nick and Julia as they melted into each other, settling down on the mattress together. Julia's fingers returned to his shirt buttons, slowly and methodically unfastening them as their lips met and parted in what could only be described as tender kisses. Nick's hands were under her white t-shirt, being careful not to startle or hurt her, and while she was pushing the shirt from his shoulders to reveal that toned, dark-haired upper half of his, he started to ease her t-shirt up in order to remove it.

Once both articles of clothing were gone, Nick decided to test the water again as he had back at the entrance to the swamp. After another five minutes or so of kissing, moving from her lips to her neck, her upper chest and even her flat stomach, which had elicited the sweetest and softest of moans from her, he reached for her jeans, feeling relieved this time when he was met with no resistance.

He unfastened the button and then pulled down the zipper, but he chose to not go any further from there. He wanted her to adjust to that first before attempting to actually remove the item of clothing from her. Her legs were now parting for him, and with a sigh of almost pure joy, he moved between them, bringing his hips down to hers in one languid, heated movement that sent a pleasant rush through her body, causing her to gasp and tilt her head back. Taking that as a positive, Nick then decided to try and remove her jeans. Again, he was met with no resistance.

She was beneath him now, wearing nothing but a grey bra and a pair of navy blue panties, and it took all his will to not ogle at her. She was incredibly gorgeous to look at. Her body, despite its bruises and that horrific scar on her left leg, was stunningly beautiful, bathed in the warm light of that stupid little camping lantern. He moved to kiss her neck, feeling her head tilt to the side to give him better access, while those beautiful fingers, shaking with anxiety and self-consciousness, began to unfasten his belt.

' _You can do this, Julia._ ' She thought to herself, ' _Let yourself have him tonight. You might not get another chance._ '

She felt his stomach quiver slightly as her fingers brushed against it to unfasten those completely ruined white dress pants, and she felt a small burst of confidence at the sensation. Had he actually enjoyed the feeling of that, or were her fingers cold?

"Are my hands cold?" She asked him quietly.

"No, baby, they're not." He replied with a deep chuckle, "Just surprised me a little is all."

She was going to apologise, but she saw him look at her in such a way that she knew she didn't need to. She sat up to help him remove the dress pants, and they both got a little chuckle out of the fact that they seemed harder to remove than they should've been, which meant that Nick eventually had to stand up to kick them off and then he returned to her, giving the warmth back to her that she so desperately craved.

Feeling his fingers take a hold of the clasp at the back of her bra, Julia suddenly took in a deep, sharp breath and she held onto that as he unfastened the garment, and began to slowly remove it from her trembling body...

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **HAH! I know I'm evil, leaving it there :D**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading so far!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I'm back with another chapter. I must include this _**warning**_ as this chapter contains _**sexual/adult themes**_. Anyway, I hope you like it!

 **Shin Maxwell:** I'm so grateful that you're continuing to review! It really is driving me to keep writing, so thank you, and I hope this chapter makes up for where I left the last chapter off.

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Five -**

Another flash of lightning lit up Nick and Julia's room as the twenty-one-year-old arched her back and tilted her head back and into her pillow.

Nick was definitely a _very_ experienced lover. He seemed to work out very quickly where and how to touch her to get better responses from her, and as he took her left breast gently into his mouth, rolling his tongue over her nipple in slow, methodical circles, Julia was certain that she was in the best hands that she could possibly ask for. He still wasn't rushing, and that meant the world to her. After spending so long having to focus solely on Kevin's needs, it felt amazing to have someone turn the focus onto her and to make her feel good for once.

Feeling her shiver against him, her fingers tightening in his hair, Nick smirked and let out a deep chuckle which sent small vibrations rippling around her breast and once again caused her to let out a soft gasp. He released her, moving across to toy with the other breast, while her hands cradled him, kneading and massaging him encouragingly to show that she enjoyed what he was doing.

He broke away after a few moments more to kiss her lips, feeling one of those dainty hands of hers threading gently through his chest hair while the other cupped his face to hold him, her hips moving up to meet his. His body felt so warm and so big that she couldn't help but feel safe, and as she wrapped her arms around him, he momentarily stopped kissing her to look at her, brushing her hair out of her face. He then slid his hands down her sides until he reached the waistband of her underwear, hooking his fingers into it expertly before carefully starting to ease it downward. She raised her hips for him, her face suddenly graced with the most beautiful, but shy smile he'd seen from her so far.

It disappeared rather quickly though just as the underwear started to be pulled past her upper thighs, and suddenly, her hands flew to her face so that she couldn't see his reaction to her naked body. This was something Nick wasn't used to, but that he had experienced before. He knew that some women felt very self-conscious and very nervous about letting a guy see them naked for the first time, probably because of some of the unrealistic expectations some guys had of women's bodies. He understood that his track record wasn't helping in this instance either. Yes, Nick had been with a _lot_ of women, and yes, a lot of them had what a lot of guys would describe as ' _perfect_ ' bodies, but Nick actually didn't give that much of a fuck if a woman had big breasts or not, or if her skin was perfect or not. It wasn't that important to him when it came down to it since a woman's pretty face was usually the feature that attracted him the most to her, not her body. That certainly didn't sound any better.

He decided, given Julia's current state of worry and embarrassment, that he wouldn't prolong it any more than necessary. So, once her underwear was gone, his came off too, and now they were equal. He had no advantage over her now. He was just as vulnerable and exposed as she was. He was surprised, however, when she removed her hands from her face, realised he was naked now too, and visibly startled, letting out an embarrassed laugh.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered with a now reddened face and a beaming grin, "I wasn't expecting you to be naked."

"That's okay. I wanted to level the playing field." He told her with a smile of his own, leaning down to kiss her again.

Feeling him against her for the first time was wonderful, and it sent the most wonderful set of sparks through her which caused her to involuntarily shiver, her face flushing a deeper shade of red. She bravely reached between them to take him in her hand and immediately, her eyes opened again, her face graced once more with that bashful smile. She bit her lip anxiously, realising that she was now going to have to admit something rather embarrassing to him, which she didn't know how he'd react to.

"This may be a little tricky..." She said quietly.

"Bigger than you're used to?" He asked her with an arched eyebrow, his lips curved into a rather smug smirk.

She nodded, her teeth still digging into her lower lip. Nick kissed her again, letting out a very quiet, but very deep groan as he felt her hand move against him experimentally. Was he really _this_ turned on? It hadn't been _that_ long. The hickey that had only just disappeared from his neck was evidence enough of that, but still... Maybe it was _her_. He didn't want to wait any longer to do this. She was driving him completely crazy. He reached to his right, grabbed the condom that he'd left sitting on the nightstand which had come from the box he'd picked up on the way to _Whispering Oaks_ , tore it open and started to prep himself. The least he could do was suit up for this. After what she'd told him about her miscarriage and given the fact that they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, he didn't want to risk getting her pregnant. That and kids were something he knew he just shouldn't have. What kind of father could he be anyway?

She leant up to kiss him, allowing him to focus on supporting himself while she took him in her hand and guided him towards her. Nick suddenly felt unusually nervous. It almost felt like it was his first time again, and he realised why when he saw Julia looking up at him with those sparkling brown eyes, her lips curved into a warm, gentle smile. He'd never been with anyone like her before. She seemed so delicate compared to the other women he'd been with and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

"Are you alright?" She asked him quietly.

"Yeah." He whispered, leaning down to kiss her as she raised her hips a little to line him up with her entrance.

"Go slow, okay?" She whispered, cupping his face with her free hand.

He nodded to her in reply and as he pushed forward, he felt her tense up, watching her almost in horror when her eyes suddenly clenched shut. He was hurting her... He just _knew_ he was... She took a deep breath, trying to relax with very little success. She was so used to things being forced that she found it difficult to keep calm and to let things happen naturally which made her worry that Nick would become angry and impatient with her.

"Sorry..." She laughed nervously, "I find it hard to relax."

"It's okay." Nick murmured, sliding an arm under her to hold her and support himself while the other hand moved another small copper-coloured curl out of her face, "We're going as slowly as you need to."

He then leant down and kissed her forehead, and the second he felt her relax around him, he gently eased forward again. He definitely _was_ bigger than what she was used to. Nick watched her with what could only be described as wonder and fascination as she took another deep breath. She really was strong. After all his panicked doubts, she was showing him her strength right now, fighting a fear she'd held for a long time thanks to someone she was supposed to be able to trust. She looked beautiful, even though her brow was creased in pain, however little. Then, she relaxed again, and with one final, gentle move forward, he saw a smile come to her face, her eyes still closed and her head slightly tilted back into the pillow.

She then opened her eyes to look at him, and she cupped his face with the hand that had just been between them, drawing him closer to kiss him. Then, he started to move, their lips still entwined in a soft kiss. Julia's heart raced as he started to move, a jolt striking through her with such intensity that she couldn't hold in the soft moan that left her lips. It felt amazing in comparison to what she was used to, so much so that she wanted to cry. She bit her lip, and as he lowered his head to the right of hers, she drew her legs back, cradling the back of his head and neck with her right hand while holding his right arm with her left.

She heard him groan again in that same, deep voice in her ear and _God_ did it turn her on. She turned her head to his, kissing him tenderly on the jaw. His right hand moved to cradle her hip, his hips still keeping that same rhythm that was driving her absolutely crazy. Sex with Kevin had never been as good as this, and he'd been the only man she'd actually slept with. This was gentle and tender, with no violence and nothing was forced. It was beyond amazing. She ran her fingers through Nick's now clean hair, clasping it in her fingers with a good grip, but not enough to hurt.

Nick moved to kiss her neck, trying to fight the urge to bite her since he knew she wouldn't appreciate him marking her. She moaned again, still quietly so as not to disturb the others, and as his pace started to quicken, her grip on him tightened to a point where it was almost painful, and he knew that what he was doing was working and making her feel good. With a shaking breath, he felt her tilt her hips a little more, and her moans started to become more frequent. She knew what was happening but she could scarcely believe that it was.

"Nick..." She whimpered, gazing at the ceiling with a furrowed brow as she bit her lip, trying to stop herself from crying out.

"I've got you, baby." He whispered to her, quickening his pace, his voice sounding a little higher than usual, "Let go..."

She bit down on her lip and then moved to draw her mouth into a tight line, her eyes clenched shut as she felt the rather unfamiliar arrival of an orgasm. She stopped breathing momentarily, her eyes opening and her jaw clenching as she felt it overpower her, almost removing her ability to move entirely. Her head fell back into the pillow and she let out a harsh breath, taking in another breath straight after and trying desperately not to almost scream in ecstasy.

Nick pressed his forehead to hers, and as her body tightened around him again, it was enough to bring him over the edge. She kissed him as he rode out his orgasm, his voice rising in pitch, but thankfully not in volume as he snapped his hips against hers for a few seconds more before slowing to a stop, being sure to keep himself from collapsing onto her as he regained his breath. Their heads were still touching, so Nick took that opportunity to kiss her again, cupping her face in the most tender way that he'd done so far.

She opened her eyes to look at him, her face flushed from her orgasm, and she smiled so brightly that Nick couldn't help but smile too. They kissed once more, this time more deeply, and Nick eased himself carefully out of her, moving to rest at her side. The storm was still raging outside, but neither of them could bring themselves to care. Julia moved to lay against him, beaming with joy as he drew her closer by holding the back of her head, kissing her warmly on the forehead.

"You doing okay?" He asked her quietly, still trying to catch his breath, "You're shaking..."

"I'm really good." She replied with a small laugh, "That was amazing... _You're_ amazing."

Nick smirked, wrapping his arms around her as he turned her face so that they were looking at each other. She made him feel so damn _young_ again, and while he knew he wasn't exactly old, he was starting to feel a little old. Lately, those one-night-stands and never spending more than a few days in one place had started to lose its charm and thrill, and now he felt somewhat revived and rejuvenated.

"Wanna shower with me?" He asked her with a half-smile, "It might be a tight fit, but..."

"Sure." Julia laughed softly, "Let's go."

They showered together, this time not caring if they disturbed the others, and throughout their time together, they got to pretend just for a little while that the world hadn't gone to shit. They kissed for a while under the spray, washed one another with the shower gel that was tucked neatly inside the caddy that was attached to the shower wall, and after they were clean, Julia tucked herself into Nick's arms and they shared a long, warm embrace. Julia even got a little emotional because of how wonderful their night had been.

Once they were out of the shower, they got back into bed, still naked, and curled up together to go to sleep. Nick kept her held close to him, running his fingers through her hair, and stroking her temple with his thumb to soothe her into sleep. As she drifted into slumber, Nick bit back the lump that threatened to rise in his throat. Whatever he was feeling really was so much deeper than infatuation. Maybe... No... No, it wasn't love. He didn't think it was love.

But he did know one thing. He had to fight whatever it took to keep this woman with him. They'd just connected on a deeper level and there was no point trying to deny it, but for her to wholly give herself to him with such trust was something else entirely. He kissed her forehead once more, closing his eyes and swallowing hard as she burrowed into him, tightening her hold on him while he continued to stroke her temple with his thumb.

"Sleep tight, beautiful." He whispered to her, settling down with her still held in his arms as he pulled the blankets tighter around them to keep them warm.

* * *

Within a few hours, it became apparent to Coach, who'd been unable to sleep, that the storm wasn't letting up. They didn't know how long they'd be stuck there if they continued to wait, so he knew that the only solution was to wake the others and signal Virgil. He knew that his friends had only had maybe three or four hours of sleep at best, and while he knew he had to wake them, he didn't want to. He woke Ellis first, who was surprisingly upbeat about getting on the move, while Rochelle flipped him the bird when he walked into her room and told her she needed to get up. He was as cautious as he'd been with Rochelle when he went to wake Julia and Nick, but he was astounded to find Nick already awake, holding Julia in his arms who was clearly at the very least half-naked.

"I'm sorry, Nick, but this storm just keeps comin' and comin'... We're gonna have to chance it." He said with a grimace, "Just apologise for me when you wake Jules, huh?"

"Sure." Nick groaned, running a hand over his face, "We heading out as soon as?"

"Yeah, if that's okay." Coach said with a sigh, "I'll leave you guys to it. Come out as soon as you're ready."

"Thanks." Nick said, also letting out a sigh as Coach closed their door before he turned to his girl, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms, unaware that she was about to be disturbed, "Julia? Wake up, sweetie..."

She stirred, grimaced and curled further into him, her eyes fluttering as she let out a deep breath, her arms tightening around his waist.

"Noooo..." She moaned quietly, "Not yet... It's too early."

"I'm sorry, baby, but the storm's not letting up... We have to go." Nick said quietly, sitting up with her still in his arms, "Come on..."

They dressed silently, and both felt a little sad that their time together was over. For now at least. They shared a long kiss, and Julia held Nick in lengthy, loving embrace, not wanting to let go. But, they soon joined their friends in the living area of the house, and as everyone glumly grabbed their things, they left the house and walked back into the still falling rain, fighting through a flooded yard to get back over the fence they'd climbed on the way in, finding themselves in front of the _Burger Tank_. Coach's plan, which was to activate the sign to signal Virgil, seemed almost crazy but it was the only option they had, and all they could do was hope that the sign would be bright enough through the rain and mist for him to see.

Wading towards the restaurant, Nick spotted a ladder that he'd seen on their way into town, amazed that it was still standing despite the storm. He climbed up first, followed by Rochelle, then Julia, then Ellis and then Coach, who found his friends standing around the power box on the roof, with Nick gingerly holding his hand out towards it.

"We ready?" He asked, looking at the others.

"Hit it." Coach said with a nod, and as Nick pulled the switch to activate the sign, it flared into life, beginning to spin above them.

"Give that a few seconds and we'll have a horde on our asses..." Nick said, starting to yell as the storm picked up, "We need to stay up here until we hear Virgil coming!"

"Stay together!" Julia yelled, "Back to back! We need eyes in every direction!"

Everyone moved together to form a star shape, focusing only on the areas ahead of them. Coach was looking in the direction they'd just come from, Rochelle was looking to the right, Nick was looking to the left, and Ellis and Julia were watching the back each turned left or right. Within about a minute, as the storm continued to rage, a scream echoed along the wind and sent a chill down everyone's spines as infected began to pour in from all directions.

"Get onto the roof!" Nick yelled, "Move back towards the edge of the building!"

Everyone did as he asked, and just as they managed to find another ladder that would lead them to the ground near the dock, they heard the horn of Virgil's boat blaring out above the thunder and the rain. Rochelle screamed at everyone to move, and as Nick and Ellis slid down the ladder one after the other, the girls quickly followed, trusting their friends enough to let go half way down and for the guys to catch them. Coach struggled down but moved as fast as he could, jumping from the last few rungs as Virgil's boat pulled into the dock.

Sprinting towards it, the five survivors were just about to actually make it out of somewhere unscathed, when a flying piece of concrete came from the top of the restaurant and hit Ellis so hard that it knocked him into the water on the other side of the boat. Coach yelled at Virgil to wait while the others rushed to find Ellis, whose cap was floating on the surface with no sign of him nearby.

"Fuck..." Nick cursed, immediately throwing his belongings on deck, "Cover me!"

He stripped his ruined, previously-white suit jacket off and leapt into the water without hesitation, immediately moving to search for Ellis. The rather muffled sound of gunfire above was enough to let him know he didn't have much time, but thankfully, he caught sight of Ellis slowly sinking below him, clearly unconscious. Swimming towards the mechanic, Nick grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up enough to grab him under the arms and swim to the surface with him.

Gasping for breath as he broke the surface of the water, Nick started to swim towards the boat with Ellis in his arms, still unconscious. Together, but not without struggle, he and Coach managed to get Ellis on deck, and then Nick managed to pull himself onto the boat while the girls screamed at Virgil to go. As soon as they were out of the horde's sight, they turned to see what was happening with Ellis and were very thankful to see him slowly coming around despite the fact that he was obviously very confused.

"Quick! Get in here!" Virgil yelled, shielding his weathered face from the pelting rain and harsh wind, "Hurry!"

Nick hauled Ellis up with Coach's help as the girls ran inside first, with Julia holding onto Nick's jacket and Ellis' hat. Nick got Ellis into the boat's small seating area and without hesitation, he started to check the younger man's head over for injury. There was just a bump starting to form at the back of his head near the top, and he had some small scrapes on his face from where the concrete had broken and been blown against his face.

"Nick... Get yourself outta them wet clothes." Coach said quietly, "Before ya catch your death."

"Come on, baby..." Julia said worriedly, taking her can of diesel and handing it to Virgil before easing Nick away from Ellis, "Come on."

Nick went with her, starting to shiver from the cold of the water, and just as they were about to disappear into their sleeping space, Ellis' weak voice came from the sitting area, thanking Nick for saving him. Nick just nodded, feeling tired, freezing cold and also guilty. He'd just dived into the water without a thought for Julia. Yes, he'd done the right thing for Ellis by diving in there and saving his life, but what would've happened to Julia if something had happened to him? He was feeling _horrible_. She _needed_ him, and even though he'd never say that to her, he knew she did. What if something had just happened to him, and he wasn't there to protect her anymore? How could he _ever_ justify leaving her like that? Oh, God... What was wrong with him? Why was he even thinking like that?

"Baby, we need to get you warm and dry..." Julia's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

She'd been terrified from the second that they'd lit up that sign until they'd gotten Ellis inside to safety. Watching Nick drop everything to dive into the water after someone who he'd struggled to get along with for the majority of their journey had been amazing. He'd literally just thrown everything he had to the side and gone straight into the path of danger after Ellis. He could've been left behind with nothing to defend himself with... The thought brought a horrid lump to Julia's throat. He wasn't talking. He wasn't even focused. He was just staring at the corner of their tiny sleeping space with a blank look on his face. He was shaking, probably both with the adrenaline wearing off and the cold from the water.

"Nick?" She asked gently, "I'm unbuttoning your shirt, okay?"

She heard an indistinct sound come from him in response, so she assumed that it was okay to continue. She heard Rochelle call to her from the other side of their sleeping space, and she quickly poked her head around the curtain to see the older woman holding up some fresh towels for her. She took them gratefully and headed back to find Nick _still_ staring into space. Was he in shock? She had no idea what to do or say, and she certainly didn't know what was going on in his head.

"Here, sweetie..." She whispered, handing him a towel, "Warm your hands with that while we get this shirt off."

Once the shirt was gone, she quickly threw it out of the room and then moved to take a larger towel and wrap it around his shoulders. The warmth seemed to wake him up a little more, and he then decided to draw it further around him, sighing shakily with the relief of having something to dry himself off with. Moving to get him out of his dress pants, Julia asked him to help her by removing his shoes, which he did rather awkwardly. Once he was totally stripped, she started to rub him down with the towels to dry him off. He was really struggling to get warm.

"Jules? I'm gonna hang these clothes up to dry." Rochelle called from outside, "Coach and I are gonna take care of Ellis, okay? Stay with Nick."

"Thanks." Julia called back, looking back to her man with a worried grimace, "Okay... We need to warm you up..."

She immediately started to remove her own clothes, which stunned Nick a little initially, but the second that she was as naked as he was, she grabbed the covers from their small bed and then removed the towels from Nick, throwing the larger ones outside while she kept the smaller one to dry his hair with. She then threw the bed covers around his shoulders, told him to hold onto the edges and then got in there with him, instructing him to wrap his arms around her. Cocooned in the covers, Julia could already feel her body heat warming him, and she took the opportunity to lift her arms out and use the spare towel to dry his hair. Once that was done, the redhead discarded that towel and then went to wrap her arms back around him again.

"Do you need to sit down?" She asked him quietly.

Without a word, he tightened his hold on her and eased them down to the bed, sitting on the mattress with her straddling him now, her frame wrapping around his as she started to rub his back to try and warm him.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine..." Nick murmured, resting his head tiredly on her shoulder.

"That was a really amazing thing you did." She whispered, "I'm proud of you. You didn't hesitate at all. You just went straight after Ellis. That takes guts, y'know? You're so brave, baby."

"Don't." Nick said quietly, "It was nothing."

Julia knew in her heart that something wasn't right. Her stomach dropped and her heart lurched, her basic instincts letting her know loud and clear that there was something he wasn't telling her. There was something that he didn't want her to know right now, and that was okay with her. She knew he'd done nothing wrong, so it wasn't as if he was hiding anything bad from her.

"Alright." She said gently, moving to look at him, "Are you getting warmer?"

"A little." He responded, swallowing thickly as he tried to stop trembling, "Am I making you cold?"

"Not at all." She laughed softly, "The adrenaline really got my blood pumping. I'm incredibly warm right now."

There was a knock against the wall of the outside, and after a quick check that they were both fully covered, Julia called to whoever was outside so that they could come in. Coach poked his head around the curtain and in his hands were two steaming mugs of something that smelt achingly familiar.

"Hot cocoa. Virgil hates the stuff and gave it to us instead." Coach said with a grin, "It'll have ya warmed up in no time, Nick."

"Thanks." Nick said quietly, still seemingly subdued, "Just set it down in the corner over there, Coach."

"No problem." Coach said with a grin, "That was a good thing you did out there, Nick. We almost lost Ellis back there... Thanks to you he's got nothin' more than a bumped head. He'll be fine."

"Good." Nick said with a nod, looking to Julia with what could only be described as pleading eyes.

He didn't want to talk about what had just happened anymore. He wanted Coach gone so that they could have their privacy. She could see it in his eyes that he just wanted them to be alone for a while, so she took the hint and tried to be as tactful as she could.

"Thanks, Coach." She said sweetly, "If you don't mind, I need to get Nick warmed up."

"Not at all." Coach grinned, "I gotta check on Ellis anyhow. Y'all get some rest. Virgil wants to fuel up and then give us a chance to get some more rest before we make for New Orleans."

"Awesome." Julia smiled, "I'll be out in a while."

Coach nodded, and with that, he left Julia and Nick on their own to have a little time together. Turning back to Nick, Julia pressed her lips against his cheek, gasping when he turned her face and kissed her lips deeply, holding her in place with his left hand. Without another word, he pulled her towards him again to hold her, and once again, he kept her in place, resting his head on her shoulder. Now, she was worried. This wasn't normal behaviour from Nick at all, and as she wrapped her arms around him in return, she couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on with him now.

"Thanks, Julia." He suddenly whispered, and with a heavy sigh, Julia could only kiss him in response while her mind raced at would could have possibly caused this very sudden change in his usual snarky and cocky personality.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading so far!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Greetings, everyone! Here we are with chapter six! I'm pleased to announce that I've made a start on this fic's sequel so hopefully you won't be waiting too long for that to be published. Thanks so much for all the support so far. It means the world to me.

 **Shin Maxwell:** I've noticed that too! It's usually Nick coming to pick me up when I get incapacitated, although sometimes its his fault that I get incapacitated too. And I'm glad the last chapter made up for the end of chapter twenty-four. I hope you continue to enjoy the fic!

Happy reading!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Six -**

As Ellis, Coach and Rochelle sat down to eat their dinner, they were relieved to finally see movement coming from Nick and Julia's sleeping space.

When only Julia emerged, though, their smiles faltered. Nick hadn't been himself since they got back onto the boat with Ellis and no-one knew the reason as to why that was. As Virgil joined the four of them at the table, no-one dared to ask what was wrong with Nick. Not for a few minutes anyway. Coach finally got the guts up and asked Julia if Nick was okay while trying to ignore the glare he was receiving from Rochelle who wanted him to be quiet.

"I dunno." The youngest team member sighed heavily, "He's just... He's become so _quiet_. And he's really subdued. I don't know what's going on with him."

"Want me to talk to him?" Rochelle offered with a grimace, "I mean if I'm not stepping on your toes or anything..."

"Listen, if you can get him to open to you about what's going on with him, I'm totally fine with it." Julia murmured, taking her bowl of heated spaghetti-o's into her hands that Virgil had made for them, "I just wanna know what's bothering him and I wanna help him get better."

"I'll just finish eating up and then I'll take him some food." Rochelle said quietly, "See if I can get some answers for you."

"Thanks." Julia said, trying to ignore the worry in her stomach as she focused on her food instead.

She knew she couldn't afford to not eat. She needed all of her strength, as did everyone else. As she, Coach, Ellis and Virgil talked quietly amongst themselves, Rochelle eventually left the table with some heated spaghetti-o's for Nick and knocked on the wall beside the curtain that closed off his and Julia's sleeping space, asking him for permission to enter. When she got no reply, she cautiously lifted the curtain back to find Nick curled on his side, under the covers, staring at the wall.

"Nick...?" She spoke quietly, "It's Ro... I brought you something to eat."

"Thanks, Ro. But I'm not hungry." Nick replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the wall.

She stepped further into the tiny room undeterred by his attitude, bent down and set the bowl near the foot of the bed before carefully easing herself onto the other side of the space, removing her boots to then sit next to him. She propped up the pillow that she assumed was Julia's and leant back with her arms folded behind her head. She could be as stubborn as him if she wanted to and she promised Julia she'd try to get answers, so she wasn't leaving this room without a fight.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked tiredly.

"I'm staying here 'til you tell me what's going on with you." Rochelle answered him simply, "Your girlfriend's worried sick about you."

"She's not my girlfriend." Nick replied darkly, internally cursing himself at the impulsive response.

"Really? After the shit you guys have been through together, after the worry you've been through with her and after you guys had sex last night, you still don't consider her as your girlfriend?" Rochelle asked with a huff, "Jesus, Nick..."

"How'd you know...?"

"Well... The two of you disappearing into the shower was the giveaway." Rochelle said with a smile, "I heard you trying to creep past my door. And your bed was a little creaky."

Nick almost face-palmed. He knew Rochelle meant it when she said she wasn't leaving. He didn't want to talk to her about what was going on, though. How could she understand it? He was still feeling guilty about abandoning Julia by diving into the water after Ellis, and after she had stood there trying to warm him earlier and trying to get him dry, even going as far as sharing her body heat with him, he'd felt this sickening lump of emotion in his throat because no-one had done anything like that for him before, and no-one had cared about him for so long that to experience it in such an intense way was overwhelming.

"Sorry. We really were trying to be quiet." He said quietly, trying to ignore the smell of the food while trying to remember where they were in their conversation.

"I know." Rochelle replied, still grinning, "Don't worry about it..."

Her smile suddenly disappeared as she remembered the reason that she'd offered to do this. Julia. If that poor girl could hear what he was saying with regards to him not considering her as his girlfriend, she'd probably be really upset. Rochelle knew that Julia deserved the answers she wanted. All she wanted to do was help.

"...But you can't honestly say that you don't consider Jules as your girlfriend now." She said sadly, "She seems to think of you as her boyfriend. And she really is worried sick about you. So, how about you do the right thing by her and tell the truth? What's going on with you?"

Nick cursed internally once again. Damn Rochelle. She apparently knew just what to say to pluck at his stupid heartstrings, and how fucking _devious_ of her to use Julia to do it! With a deep sigh, he sat up, revealing his messy hair, his creased polo shirt and his tired, pale face which seemed to cause her more concern than he would've liked.

"I fucked up, Ro." He said quietly, not really knowing how else to start, "I know I made the right call by going into the water after Ellis... But..."

"But what?" She asked him quietly.

"I didn't think about Jules. Not once." He answered her with a worried frown, "What if I'd ended up stranded or something had happened to me, and she'd been left on her own without me there to protect her?"

"Wait, what?" Rochelle asked, genuinely confused, "You mean to tell me that you're worrying that poor girl something stupid because you're feeling guilty about potentially giving your life for someone else? Man, I would hate to be in your head."

"Tell me about it." Nick replied, running his hands over his face, "I just can't stop thinking about what would happen to her if I wasn't here. I can't get rid of the anxiety I'm feeling about it. I've never, _ever_ thought about a woman like this before... Well... Except for my mother and little sister, but that's a story for another time."

"Are you worried that she's angry with you?" Rochelle asked, "'Cause I can promise you that anger is the last thing she's feeling towards you right now. She's got no idea what's wrong with you and she doesn't know how to approach you about it, which is why I'm here."

Nick let out another sigh, leaning back against the wall with a look of exhaustion and resignation on his face. He did feel a little better for opening up to somebody about what was going on, and it shocked him that he'd actually found that such an easy thing to do. He didn't feel quite so alone now, and Rochelle had done her best to be understanding... For the most part.

"And as for that decision you made out there... You made the right call. All of us think you did. If you hadn't made that call, someone else would've. Maybe even Julia. And I promise you that if anything does happen to you, and I pray to God that it doesn't... But if it does, we _will_ take care of Julia. We all will."

Nick smiled at that. It was something that deep down he knew they'd do. He just wanted to be there for her as long as he could be, and he knew it was probably normal to worry about what would happen to her. No matter what the others promised him, he'd still worry about her and he took that as a sign that maybe his feelings for her were growing deeper and more intense. Maybe it really was time to start openly referring to her as his girlfriend. Things were serious enough for that, right? He realised that he was going to have to trust Julia with this information and that he was going to have to hope that she wouldn't be angry with him for worrying her like that. The sooner he got it over with the better.

"Thanks." He said quietly in response to Rochelle's promise, looking to the bowl of food sitting next to the bed, which he took into his hands carefully, "I'm gonna have to talk to her, aren't I?"

"Yeah." Rochelle said with a smile, "But I'll help you out by keeping her busy until you've eaten, then you can have time to think about what you wanna tell her."

"'Kay." He said with a nod, playing with the food with his spoon, "Thanks, Ro."

"No problem." Rochelle whispered with a smile, getting up from the bed to go and find Julia with a sense of pride at what she'd just achieved.

After about five minutes, Nick emerged from their sleeping space with the now empty bowl in his hand, looking tired and frazzled, and Julia got out of her seat so fast that she almost fell. She took the bowl from him carefully, thanking Rochelle who offered to take it from her, and then she allowed Nick to lead her to their room to talk. The curtain was back in place in seconds, and as Julia slipped her shoes off, she moved to join Nick on the bed as he asked her to, sitting in front of him with worry in her eyes and heaviness in her heart.

"Ro says you've been worrying about me." He stated quietly, leaning back against the wall.

"A little." Julia admitted with a sigh, "I just want you to be okay."

"I'm okay." He said with a nod, "I just wanna talk to you about something. It's kinda been bothering me."

She nodded, offering him a patient, but worried smile. He tried to calm her down by reaching out to take her hands in his. He then decided to move a little closer to her, feeling his own nerves start to calm as she climbed over to him and sat between his legs, wrapping her arms around him to hug him.

"What's on your mind?" She asked him, pulling back to look at him.

"The fact that I jumped in the river after Ellis without a giving you a single thought." He admitted quietly, trying to ignore the feeling of embarrassment that was slowly washing over him, "I've had this thought going around in my head for hours about what the fuck would've happened to you if I'd been left behind or worse. I know that I did the right thing by going after Ellis, okay? I just... I felt guilty for not thinking about you."

Julia smiled sweetly at him and pressed closer to him, breaking into a laugh as she hugged him tightly. Nick felt confused. She really wasn't angry? No, of course she wasn't angry. She was anything but angry. She was overwhelmed by the fact that he cared so much for her that he was worried about what would happen to her should anything happen to him. It was beyond sweet.

"You're not mad?" He asked her quietly.

"How can I be mad?" She asked in return, pressing her lips to his cheek, "You saved someone else's life. You have nothing to feel guilty about. What you did was so amazing."

She then cupped his face and with a beaming grin, she leant forward and kissed his lips. She was so thankful that nothing worse was wrong. He'd never know how thankful she was, and while the situation had been stressful because his behaviour had been unusual, she really didn't care now that she knew that it was something so simple that was bothering him. Once their kiss was broken, Nick welcomed Julia into his lap as she tried to move into it, slipping his arms around her to hold her.

"Think we can be quiet enough?" Julia asked with a flirtatious smile when she felt his hands start to wander.

"Hate to break it to you, darlin', but Rochelle heard us in that house when we were in separate rooms." Nick laughed quietly, "I hardly think we can keep quiet in here."

Julia suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment and shame wash over her as she realised that their encounter hadn't at all been as secretive as they thought. Nick saw her face fall and redden, and she moved out of his lap slowly, her head lowered to the ground. He hated to see any hint of shame on her face because he'd already caused her to feel that once, even though that occasion had been a complete accident.

"Don't do that." He whispered gently, "C'mere, babe..."

"We don't have to do anything. We should probably rest tonight." Julia murmured, smiling at him weakly, "I'm tired and you're tired... We've been through a lot lately."

Yet again, for the third time in less than twenty minutes, Nick cursed internally. She was pulling away from him again. But he knew he had to relent. She wasn't going to want to continue after knowing that they'd been heard previously, especially not when they were so exposed. He still, regardless of her protests, pulled her closer to him and kissed her again, offering her a reassuring grin as he brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"You're right. We've been through a lot lately." He said quietly, "So, we can sleep if you want. We're gonna be lowering anchor for the night anyway."

With the idea of an early night becoming more appealing to them, the two entered the rather domesticated act of helping one another undress, since sleeping in their clothes was incredibly uncomfortable. As they helped one another out of their top layer of clothes, they shared the occasional kiss, whether it was given from one to the other against their forehead, cheek lips, or neck, and soon enough, left in nothing but their underwear, they climbed into their bed to settle down for the night.

They kissed for a while, wrapped up in one another's embrace. It was just them again, allowed to be in their own world once more, even if only for a short time. The more time they spent together alone like this, the more Julia found herself falling for Nick. With every touch and kiss, she was finding her heart becoming lost to him more and more. She could see those wonderful changes happening in him and she knew that some of them were because of her which meant the _world_ to her. Unbeknownst to her, Nick was going through something very similar. Every time he touched her, he felt that same pang that he'd felt the first time he'd seen that gentle, beautiful smile when she'd been talking with Ellis, and he knew in his heart that maybe this really was serious, and for the first time, he genuinely wanted a _real_ , loving relationship with someone. With _her_.

The thought terrified him and intoxicated him all once. While he knew he wasn't in love, he felt very deeply for her, and he thought she might just feel the same about him. As he felt her sagging into his arms, her body tired and her heart heavy, he kept her close to him as she fell asleep, part of him fearing that once they left the safety of this boat and stepped onto land once again, he may never get the opportunity to hold her like this again.

* * *

The group each found it difficult to say their goodbyes to Virgil. He'd become a friend to them, and when he announced that he was off to look for more survivors, they each felt a strange pang in their chests at the thought of not knowing if he was safe or not. They now found themselves on the home stretch. They were at the waterside in New Orleans, and overhead, they heard the sounds of military jets soaring past. That filled them with a feeling of trepidation. Was that good news or not?

"Should we be worried that...?" Julia began, only to be cut off by the sound of a muffled explosion, "Was that...? Are they _bombing_ the bridge?!"

"It sounded like a bomb." Nick agreed, looking towards the bridge where a plume of smoke was rising from the large structure, "Oh, shit..."

The others turned to look in the same direction that the couple were. If the military were bombing the bridge it meant that their current location was no longer safe. They were cutting themselves off from the infection, and if the five survivors didn't make it to that bridge in time...

"We gotta go." Nick said, sounding slightly panicked, "We have to move, now."

Coach immediately started to jog up the steps nearby, and everyone else followed without question. Their pace was no longer a slow one. They had no time to dilly-dally now and as they made their way through a small gateway, they found themselves on a blocked street with infected scattered all over the place. Indeed, New Orleans had fallen too.

"Damn..." Ellis murmured, looking ahead at the zombies before them.

"Don't be too disheartened." Julia said quietly, "If they're bombing the bridge, the area on the other side could be the only safe place left. I don't care if we end up in the water, we're gonna make it there."

"I like your determination, young 'un." Coach praised her warmly, "Let's move. We got a long way to go to get to that bridge."

They shot at the infected as they moved, trying to be as precise as humanly possible to conserve their ammo and to minimise the noise they were making. Time was now of the essence and it really wasn't on their side. More jets passed overhead, their screams seeming to attract the attention of the zombies staggering around nearby buildings and vehicles. It was clear that the infection had taken a strong hold over the city and it left the five survivors wondering if they were actually going to get out of this or not.

"I remember the city a little differently than this... I gotta say." Nick said with a grimace as they passed by a small café.

"You've been here before?" Julia asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, a few times." Nick answered her, "Not enough to remember where I'm going, though. Most of my time here wasn't exactly spent sober or focused on my surroundings."

Julia knew what that meant. Nick was there for sex, drink and gambling. But, she couldn't think too much about that now given the danger of their current situation. They'd almost immediately found themselves with another dead end as they travelled through the streets, and when Coach actually cursed up ahead, it gave the other four survivors an unpleasant, sickly feeling in their stomachs. Their usually calm and composed friend was now in a state of worry. Maybe even panic. This was _way_ too serious for their liking. Their lives were truly on the line now and the feeling was indescribably awful.

Starting to look around for a way to move forward, Rochelle thankfully found access over a fence by some steps heading into to back alley, which then led to a grassy courtyard that was surrounded by the backs of various buildings. It was a bit of a maze to navigate initially, but after a few seconds of searching, they found the back door to a restaurant, entering the dark kitchen area with apprehension. The growling and groaning coming from the zombies in the main area of the restaurant now seemed more menacing. Those infected people stood between the five survivors and their escape from what had become Hell on Earth, and they could only hope they had enough ammo to deal with them.

"Take 'em out." Nick growled, trying to swallow down the feeling of hopelessness that was creeping up inside of him, "Do it or we end up stuck here and left to die again."

Everyone opened fire on the zombies in the restaurant, each of them falling victim to the panic and fear that was now starting to spread between them. Their primal instincts were screaming at them to run. The sense of urgency was overpowering, their hearts all starting to race as the anxiety started to worm its way around the group. While they were killing the zombies in the restaurant, their gunfire blocked out the sounds of coughing and wheezing coming from outside, and just as Coach moved to look out of the front doors of the building, he was caught by a long, pink tongue which wrapped tightly around his middle. Before he could react, he was tugged out of the door and straight into an alarmed car.

"Someone kill this damn thing!" He yelled out above the screeching of the alarm which was now going to draw out every zombie within a quarter-mile radius.

Nick managed to get a killer shot on the Smoker that had caught Coach, but it was already too late. The blaring alarm was already starting to bring them unwanted attention. Zombies were starting to emerge from all directions, seemingly angrier and more determined to get to them, almost as though they knew that the group was on the last stretch of their journey.

"Safehouse!" Rochelle cried out suddenly, pointing towards the blockaded end of the street where infected were starting to approach from, "Down there! If we haul ass, we can make it!"

"You heard the woman!" Coach yelled, opening fire on the oncoming horde, "Go now!"

Racing for the store at the end of the street, the group of five shot at their oncoming enemies with urgency but an accuracy developed from days of almost constant use of their weapons, thankfully eliminating the threats quickly. Once they were in the safe room, they slammed the door shut, barricading it as quickly as possible. Their exit was right next to where they'd entered, and they knew that this would get them behind the barricade that was currently swamped with infected. The car alarm was still screeching in the street, but the zombies seemed to have lost interest in the humans hiding away in an old Voodoo store and were focusing their anger now on the car that was blaring. It didn't take long for the car to be torn into submission and for it to be silenced, leaving the infected to finally calm down.

"We need to keep going." Rochelle whispered, looking out of the safe room door.

Nick was suddenly behind her, also getting a good look outside. Ellis was standing with Julia, his arm around her as she worriedly chewed her fingernails, while Coach was massaging his knee. The fall from the Smoker attack had caused him to fall a little awkwardly and his old injury had chosen this time, when their need to hurry was almost dire, to flare up again.

"Let me put some gel on your knee, Coach." Julia said softly, "It'll relieve the pain and keep my brain occupied while we wait for the zombies to calm down."

"Alright, honey." Coach said softly, sitting on the ground nearby, "Try not get yourself worked up. We need ya focused."

"I know." She whispered, a lump of emotion filling her throat, "I feel like every second that passes is..."

Four pairs of eyes slowly fell upon her as she helped Coach get the leg of his pants rolled up. They knew what she was saying without her even needing to finish her remark. Every second that passed felt like a second closer to dying. If they missed this potential evacuation, they were royally screwed and they all knew it. She quickly rubbed Coach's knee with the deep heat gel which had come in handy quite a lot recently, and once she'd managed to wash her hands with a bottle of water sitting nearby, the group found themselves with a good opportunity to go.

They opened the safe room door as quietly as possible, moving so slowly that it looked almost comical, and once they had a good view of the crowd of zombies behind the fence, they tried to sneak out onto the street to continue their journey without disturbing them. They'd been in the city for around five to ten minutes at the most, and they were already making what they felt was good progress.

Rounding the corner onto the street, they could see the entrance to Bienville Park. The fact that the area was empty only lead to further dread. That meant one of two things. Tank or Witch. The fact that crying wasn't audible to them, at least not yet, led them to think that they were going to be confronted with a Tank. In the most random of moments, while this horrible thought was going through their heads, it occurred to them suddenly as they set off wandering towards the park that the weather was _beautiful_.

Their dread at the impending encounter with some horrible monstrosity was suddenly replaced by an overwhelming sadness. There were so many thoughts flying through the minds of each person in that group that it was almost unbearable. Coach was thinking of the summer days when he'd be out on the football field, giving advice to the youngsters who looked up to him with genuine respect and with aspirations of achieving dreams that to some would be impossible.

Rochelle was thinking, very suddenly, of being on a bike ride with Francis. Their encounter had been short, yes, but Rochelle had found herself thinking of him more and more, wanting him more and more, with her heart growing heavier every time that handsome face entered her head. She'd wished for more time with him, and she vowed that if she ever met him again, she'd spend as much time with him as she could. She knew in her heart of hearts that she wanted to do so, and she knew that despite her hating it, could easily learn to ignore that stupid leather vest he wore.

Ellis was, of course, thinking of Zoey, and imagining what adventures they could have together on a day as beautiful as this... If she'd ever have him, of course. He didn't know if she would in truth, but he wanted to believe that if he took the time to get to know her more, she would want to be with him, and while everyone had ridiculed him about his sudden attraction to her, he knew it would be more appropriate to get to know her better and court her a little to seduce her. They could be walking through a park just like the one he and his friends were about to enter, or maybe just be lounging in the bed of his truck with a beer each and a blanket to lay on while they watched the clouds pass by, or maybe they could be in a boat on a lake somewhere doing a little fishing... Okay, so Zoey might not like many of those hobbies of his, but he wanted the opportunity to take her out on dates and get to know what she liked to do and didn't like to do. He missed that beautiful face and that sweet voice of hers. He hoped and prayed he might get the chance to see her again.

Nick was thinking about how nice it'd be to be taking Julia for a drive in a convertible with the roof down, just cruising along at their own pace to maybe go for a nice lunch and then take a walk on a beach. Julia was thinking of something similar, but not quite as busy. She was simply imagining the two of them having a picnic together in a field somewhere rural, and she knew a picnic would be something she'd have to maybe badger Nick into since his tastes were for a more expensive and classy kind of meal, but she imagined how great it would be to then lay in the grass together, basking in the sunshine, maybe even making out a little and perhaps...

A hand suddenly brought her out of her thoughts as calloused, rough fingers wrapped around her left hand. She looked up to see Nick still looking dead ahead, and her gaze then lowered to where he'd now taken her hand in his. His grip was so tight that it was almost painful, but as she looked back up towards his face, she could see why. His jaw was clenched and he was blinking quite rapidly, his chest almost heaving with each breath.

Nick, unbeknownst to her, was feeling a sadness he'd never felt before. It was almost like grief, and while he'd grieved for his mother when she'd passed away, this was _so_ different. He was grieving for the experiences they may never have together. His mind was racing. If they were rescued, who was to say that CEDA and the military weren't just going to shoot them dead? What if they were separated and he never saw Julia again? He couldn't bear the idea of it, let alone the thoughts that were filling his head, and as he'd started to feel himself slipping, he'd grabbed her hand to remind himself that she was there with him, still breathing, still moving, still determined to get to safety and it was enough to ground him again.

He felt her return the grip he had on her hand, not with as much strength because she wasn't as strong as him, but it was a tight enough hold for him to feel reassured that she was just as anxious as he was. This was one of those things that he _adored_ about Julia. She had this wonderful way of knowing what he needed, when he needed it, and she knew how to communicate her feelings to him without even having to part her lips. Nick carefully drew Julia's hand towards his lips, locked eyes with her, and kissed the back of the dainty limb in a lingering, but loving motion.

She offered him the most gentle of smiles, but it was, of course, marred with the same sadness that he was feeling, and as they climbed the concrete steps towards the park, they both let one another go, realising that their focus now had to be whatever lay ahead rather than the torment of maybe not getting out of this alive.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading this so far!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! I'm sad to say that we're coming to the end of this story now. I hope you've all been enjoying it, and I really appreciate every single one of you that has read, reviewed, followed or favourited the story. It really means a lot to me.

 **Shin Maxwell:** Yeah, I'm the same! I'd hate for my boyfriend to feel terrible for doing the right thing for someone. Nick is _very_ complex. He's been so fun to write and he's been quite the challenge to get right as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Seven -**

The heat of the bright, golden sun warmed the five survivors as they quickly, but quietly made their way along the hedged passages into Bienville Park.

On point was Coach, who was listening out carefully for any sounds of crying or growling to indicate the presence of the meaner of the mutated infected that he and his friends had encountered over the past few days. Ellis was at the back with Rochelle, trying to keep a lookout for any movement or flashes of colour to indicate what they were walking into. In the middle remained Nick and Julia, with him walking behind her, shielding her and keeping her between himself and Coach to protect her from any oncoming threats.

However, when the grand, beautiful statue of the horse that sat in the centre of the park came into view, their worry, it transpired had been for nothing. There was no Witch and no Tank. There was _nothing_ around. Ellis was the only one who was cheerful about this since the others couldn't help but feel suspicious about the quietness of the area. When had fate ever been so kind as to let them pass through an area unscathed? Passing by some bathrooms, the group found an exit to the park and they actually felt somewhat comforted by the sight of a couple of infected wandering nearby. At least there wasn't anything worse waiting for them at that moment.

"Where the hell do we go from here?" Nick murmured as Rochelle and Ellis took out the zombies nearby.

"There!" Julia gasped, pointing to an open space in a nearby fence, "We can get through that way."

"We're close, guys. I can feel it." Ellis said with a grin, walking away from the zombies he'd just killed to lead the way, "Come on!"

Nick rolled his eyes, Coach bit his lip with a half smile, Rochelle and Julia shared smiles together and Ellis, who was grinning like he wasn't running for his life in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, set off ahead, beckoning the others to follow him. They headed down an alleyway which seemed so normal in the chaos around them with its trash cans and broken cardboard boxes that were scattered around it, and they emerged underneath what looked like part of the freeway which may lead to the bridge they were hoping to reach. A few zombies were wandering nearby, but not so many as to cause the group alarm.

"Can't we just climb up there?" Rochelle asked, pointing at the truck and road sign that were hanging rather precariously over the edge of the freeway.

"If you wanna get crushed to death, we can." Nick said with raised eyebrows, "Come the fuck on, Ro, you know that they're not safe to climb."

"Alright, alright..." Julia said quietly, "Take a breath. We're just gonna have to find another way."

"Let's take out these assholes first." Coach said, looking at the zombies in the distance who were only just starting to realise that the survivors were there.

The second that one of them started running towards the group, the rest began to follow angrily, arms outstretched and flailing, glowing eyes wide and bloodied mouths agape. They were taken out so quickly that it seemed almost pointless for them to have even tried to attack the group of five. Resigning themselves to the fact that they were simply going to have to take the long way around, the weary survivors pressed on, looking for a way out of the area that they were currently standing in so that they could continue to make progress.

As they looked, Nick spotted something lying in the grass near one of the concrete supports of the overpass, only to find a pipe bomb sitting there as though someone else had dropped it. He picked it up warily, not fully trusting that it was safe, but after a few moments of brief inspection, he pocketed the explosive, looking up from his current position to see a way through some more fencing ahead of them.

"This way!" He called to the others, beckoning them over.

They moved quickly, only then to find their way blocked by a large trailer which appeared to be the property of CEDA. The few medical supplies that were left inside made them wonder what exactly its purpose had been, and since no-one had any real medical knowledge, they decided to leave behind any supplies that they didn't know how to use. Realising that they were going to have to open the far door of the trailer to get out of the other side, the group decided to take advantage of their shelter for a moment and get their breath.

"We're in a restricted area." Nick commented, closing the back door behind them, "This perimeter might be alarmed."

"No, it _will_ be alarmed." Rochelle grumbled, "Just our luck."

"So, what's the plan if it _is_ alarmed?" Ellis asked worriedly, "We got some place to get to so we can actually turn off said alarm?"

"Probably..." Nick said quietly, looking out of the window of the trailer, "Looks like there's some equipment on top of that tower of scaffolding out there. Just gotta follow the fences 'til we get there."

"Ro, you and Ellis should go first." Julia suggested, "You're faster runners than the rest of us."

"Okay." Ellis nodded, looking across at Rochelle with a grimace, "You okay with that, Ro?"

Rochelle gave him a weak smile, gearing herself up for the task ahead by taking a quick moment to stretch her legs. Everyone made sure their guns had a full magazine and that they were prepared for the short run to the scaffolding. Nick and Julia managed to share a brief squeeze of hands before the conman gave Ellis the go ahead to open the door and breach the perimeter. Julia couldn't help but sense a feeling of desperation in that one touch of their hands, as though Nick was experiencing some kind of internal distress that she wasn't able to help him quell, and the notion was horrid. Nick was indeed experiencing internal distress. He couldn't help but feel as though something was going to punish him for all his past offences... All the lying, the womanising, the violence he'd partaken in, the gambling, the cheating, the conning... All of that was going to bite him on the ass, he could just feel it, and he knew that the punishment would involve Julia. Of course it would. The second he found someone who he deeply cared for, she'd be torn away from him.

"Go!"

Ellis' voice drew him out of his thoughts, and as Julia raced after Rochelle, he pushed Coach in front of him so he could make sure the older man didn't fall behind. These four people were his family now. _No-one_ was getting left behind. As the familiar scream of a horde echoed over the sound of the alarm blaring around them, the five raced on, looking for a way onto the scaffolding. Ellis rounded the corner of the fencing and into the area with the scaffolding first, but stopped as he saw zombies racing towards them, reaching back to tug Rochelle in front of him so she could climb the ladder first. When they saw this, the others grinned warmly. Even in a time of emergency, Ellis was still as chivalrous as ever.

Once Rochelle reached the top of the scaffolding, infected were pouring in from all directions. Thankfully, the packs they were attacking in were small, so one person could manage to take down a group on their own. Nick yelled at Julia to stop shooting and get up and onto the scaffolding, desperate for her to get to safety. He still couldn't shake that feeling that something was going to go wrong, but thankfully, that turned out not to be the case. Rochelle got the alarm turned off, Nick and Coach got up to the level of the scaffolding that the others were on, and they killed the last few groups of zombies that were approaching from the direction that they were going to walk in. They'd managed to open the doors leading to the bus station, which they were planning to pass through to try and make their way to the bridge.

"We all okay?" Julia asked, panting for breath.

Everyone else nodded, and as one last zombie started running towards them, Nick took it out with his combat rifle, staring at it angrily. They were all more than ready for this journey to be over. They'd had enough of running, killing and fighting. They just wanted to be safe. Knowing again that time wasn't on their side, the group headed back down the ladders to the ground and moved towards the doors to the bus station that had opened on the other side. They walked quickly, and Nick and Julia took the opportunity once more to be close together, their hands entwined briefly on the short walk from the scaffolding to the building ahead. The quiet, dark building was ominous, but as Rochelle's flashlight lit up a safehouse marker on the wall in front of them, their feelings of worry were momentarily replaced with the wonderful sensation of relief that soon, they'd be in another safe room.

They reached the yard where some of the city's buses still sat, quiet and still where usually, they'd be full of people going about their daily business. It was silent, except for the warm breeze and the occasional sounds of wildlife, which amazingly, hadn't succumbed to the infection and quite frankly, the atmosphere had become a little eerie. The breaking of the silence caused by a jet soaring past didn't exactly make it any better, but only reminded the five survivors that they were potentially on borrowed time.

"Did I ever tell you guys about the time my grandpa took me on a bus to Memphis to visit Graceland, and we...?"

"Ellis, Ellis... We don't have time for that right now." Nick said, trying not to sound too irritated.

"Okay, but I do love bus rides." Ellis replied, letting out a sigh.

They headed to the right of the building they'd just come out of and walked slowly down a pathway between some fencing and the bus station itself. They soon found themselves confronted with a couple more buses, but ahead of them was the sanctuary of a safehouse. And just as they were about to enter it, just like it had back at the hotel in Savannah, a Charger burst out of the safe room and before anyone could move, they were all barrelled out of the way, each hitting the ground with hard thuds.

"Someone shoot this Goddamn thing!"

The voice that was yelling at them was Nick's, and as Julia turned around, her face laced with horror and anger, she found that indeed, her boyfriend was being pummelled by the Charger they'd just been confronted with, and as Coach, Rochelle and Ellis looked at the redhead, for the first time, they saw just how _pissed_ she could actually get, and she really was fuming that this creature had the nerve to pick on her boyfriend. Racing towards the Charger, she was firing round after round into its back with her M16, her face red and eyes dark with rage.

The second that it fell down dead, Julia's emotions betrayed her angry exterior, and worry clouded her beautiful brown eyes as she rushed over to Nick, helping him to sit up. She could tell he was hurt. He was coughing, wincing and holding his torso with one arm, struggling to get up again. If she'd been able to react more quickly, this situation would've been avoided and Nick wouldn't be hurt like he was now. She felt _terrible_.

"Easy, baby..." She murmured, trying to quell the racing of her heart, "I've got you."

"I'm okay, sweetie." He groaned, coughing again as he managed to get up and onto his knees, "Jesus... Those fuckers are strong."

"I know they are." Julia whispered, taking him by the arm as Coach moved to help her get Nick back on his feet, "Come on... The safe room's just ahead of us."

"I can tell you guys now, I've got a broken rib or two." Nick complained, wincing as he took in a deep breath, "Oh, yeah... Definitely..."

"I'm sorry, Nick, we all got taken out by the damn thing." Julia said with a grimace, helping to support Nick as Coach put the conman's arm around his neck.

"Don't sweat it, babe." Nick told her quietly, "Honestly. I'll be fine."

When they got into the safe room, they found Rochelle and Ellis already preparing a cold compress and searching through their medical supplies for some more of that deep heat gel that had proven quite useful to soothe the pains of rib injuries. No doubt, Nick would be happy for some after that Charger attack. Once he was helped into the safe room, Ellis moved to help Coach barricade the door, while Julia got to work on lifting up Nick's polo shirt so that she could apply the gel.

The relief that Nick felt when the gel started to work was exhilarating, despite the little burn that came with it. While he hadn't been seriously hurt by the Charger, rib injuries were _never_ fun. He'd had enough in his lifetime to know how bad they could be, and the last thing he wanted was to slow the group down because of the pain he was in.

"I can't do anything else for you, Nick. I'm sorry." Julia whispered, allowing Rochelle to wash the gel from her hands with a bottle of water lying nearby.

"It's okay, don't worry." Nick promised her with a smile, "I swear, I'll be fine."

"Okay..." Julia said with a nod, as though trying to reassure herself, "Good."

"Let's get moving." Nick said as he stood up, "There any ammo in here?"

Julia was stunned. Nick was moving as though the Charger attack had never happened. He wasn't slowing down or showing any sign of being in pain. It was rather amazing really, and she couldn't help but be taken aback by his strength. It was really remarkable that his pain threshold was so high. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as he reloaded his rifle, but then moved to look through their exit door to see what was going on outside. It was clear that they were going to come out to an area beneath the freeway, which they knew they needed to follow. The bridge couldn't be too far now, surely.

"Come on, come on..." Rochelle whispered urgently, "Let's move."

They opened the door quietly, finding only a few zombies ahead of them. Rochelle and Julia headed in front to eliminate the threats and spotted a way into a residential area, which had been barricaded by CEDA. Once again, their route would be awkward and complicated, but no matter what obstacles they came across, they _were_ going to get to that bridge. It took them climbing up the steps of a house and then jumping down from the top of a bus to get over the first barricade. Their next step was to pass through some decrepit looking backyards to get around a chainlink fence, and as they stepped past a trailer that was almost blocking their path, they heard a very familiar, and very unwelcome growling sound.

"Hunter..." Rochelle whispered, "Be careful... Remember that they're hunting in packs now."

With Nick now at the front, the group slowly moved forward, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the hooded infected. Just as he stepped out onto the street, Nick spotted the creature crawling a few feet away which suddenly came flying towards him, its arms outstretched and mouth agape, showing off sharp, wolf-like teeth. He managed to side-step it to avoid it, but it came back just as quickly, taking him to the floor and pinning him down by straddling his torso before it proceeded to try and tear into him.

The second that Julia saw Nick go down, she knew she had a decision to make. As an uncomfortable, icy chill of panic and horror ran down her spine, she realised she either had to let her fear consume her or fight the phobia and save her boyfriend. Adrenaline kicked in, and she found herself racing towards the hooded figure, using her M16 to hit it so hard in the head that it fell off of Nick, getting to its feet to hurry out of the way. It came back again, crawling towards her with its teeth bared and face twisted into an angry snarl, but Julia didn't back down. She stood in front of Nick, who was getting to his feet and opened fire, spraying the Hunter with bullets. It landed dead on the road with a sickening yelp, blood pooling around it.

"Damn, babe..." Nick let out a soft laugh both of amusement and relief, "Good shot."

Julia didn't respond. Instead, she made sure that Nick was on his feet again, offering him a weak smile before quickly checking him over to ensure that he wasn't injured. He knew she was worried. That was twice now that he'd been caught by a mutated infected in the space of as little as five to ten minutes, and he knew that Julia would feel the need to be more on her guard to look out for him. That nagging fear he'd been having of something happening to bite him in the ass for his past indiscretions was coming back again. He didn't want anything to happen to her because she was busy looking out for him.

"I'm fine, Jules." He promised her gently, "Come on."

Finding themselves at another dead end, Coach beckoned his fellow survivors to follow him towards a flight of stairs that led them up and into another house. There was nowhere else to go, and they didn't exactly have time to question their options. A squealing came from up ahead, and everyone slowly turned their gazes to the house in front of them. At the top of the stairs, a Spitter appeared with that horrifically mutated stomach acid dripping from her malformed mouth, already burning holes in the wooden floor she was standing on. Coach fired one shot and she collapsed to the floor dead, the acid pooling around her which started to burn through the wooden floor and the stairs they were standing on.

"Jump!" Coach ordered loudly, leaping over the pool of green, burning liquid before immediately stepping back to allow everyone else room to jump.

Ellis sent Rochelle first, then Julia and then he and Nick came last, with Nick having to then drag him forward to stop him from stumbling backwards into the acid. Leaving the liquid to continue bubbling and burning away, Coach moved across the building to try and find a way back to street level. As he reached an opening in the side of the house, he spotted a trailer that they could jump onto in order to get back to the ground. Coach went first, followed by Nick, then Rochelle, then Julia and then Ellis, and once everyone was back on ground level, they found themselves in a collection of fire-damaged houses. They entered the house in the middle of the cluster and decided very quickly to separate and search for supplies.

"Ellis and I can check upstairs." Coach said quietly, "Nick, take the ladies through here, and we'll meet you out back."

Nick nodded in response to Coach's request and as the older man and Ellis went upstairs, the conman led Julia and Rochelle further into the house, shining their flashlights around to see if there were any useful supplies on their floor. In a cupboard, Rochelle found some painkillers and a fresh tube of deep heat gel, which she quickly pocketed before deciding to rummage through the other cabinets. Nick and Julia decided to check the outer area, and upon spotting only a couple of wandering infected, they quickly shot them dead, leaving the place silent once more. For a brief moment, the couple stood quietly, each of them deep in thought. Nick was still worried about Julia being torn away from him while Julia was worrying about what was going to happen after they reached safety. Would they be taken in by the military, and if so, would she and Nick stay together? What if he wanted to return to his old lifestyle once things were brought back under control? She didn't know if she could deal with losing him like that.

"Nick?" She asked softly, "What are we gonna do when all this is over?"

"What do you mean, sweetie?" He asked her in return.

"Where do we stand? I mean... I know you were really a lone ranger before all this, and..."

Nick almost sighed. He knew what she was asking him and he understood why she was doing so. She was right. He'd never really stayed in one place for long, not even with his ex-wife, and while he still wanted to travel and see the sights, it had occurred to him that he wasn't exactly that young anymore. Yes, he wasn't old either, but he knew it was probably time to be looking for a more stable sort of life, rather than spending it cheating and lying to people. As for where the two of them stood, as far as he was concerned, the only woman he wanted to spend his time with, in a more romantic sense, was her. She was all he needed for the time being.

"You don't need to ask where we stand, Jules." He said, looking at her with a small smile, "You're my girlfriend, and... I think it's time I stopped being a lone ranger."

She didn't need to press him any further as to what he meant. The look in his eyes had told her all she needed to know, and the fact that he'd called her his girlfriend meant the world to her. He didn't want to leave her behind, and he wasn't just thinking of her either. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he'd almost certainly become attached to the others. Julia definitely had. Before she could answer him, Rochelle returned with Coach and Ellis in tow, all of them empty-handed apart from Rochelle, who was putting the painkillers and first aid supplies she'd found into her bag.

"There was nothin' useful up there." Ellis complained, adjusting his cap briefly, "Where do we go from here?"

Nick looked around quickly, spotting another hole in a building to their right. The fact that so many of these buildings had large openings in their walls was worrying. It was almost as if something had broken through them. Something big. And the only thing that was currently big enough to do that was one of the biggest threats the group had come to face so far.

"We might have a Tank nearby." Nick said darkly, "I think one's been moving through here. It's probably why so many of these houses have these large openings in them."

"Sounds about right." Coach commented from his place at the back of the group, "Keep your eyes and ears open, folks."

They proceeded slowly, stepping into the building in front of them before making their way through the various rooms on the lower floor and into a corridor. There was a growl, deep and menacing, coming from the outside area of this particular house. Rochelle, just as luck would have it, spotted a Molotov sitting on the floor in a nearby bathroom, and she quickly grabbed it, handing it to Nick who was still at the front of the group. A snort suddenly followed the growling, and the group knew at that point that they were going to be confronted with the Tank that had probably caused all the damage to these buildings, and soon. Cautiously lighting the Molotov, Nick peered out onto the street ahead, spotting the Tank to their left at the far end of the road.

"It's that way..." He said quietly, "Jules, I want you and Ro back towards the right of the street with Coach, and for God's sake, take it slow when you get out of here. Ellis, you're with me."

"Sure thing, Nick." Ellis whispered with a determined nod.

Watching like hawks as Coach led Rochelle and Julia to the right side of the street, using a parked van for cover, Nick and Ellis carefully made their way towards the Tank, who was busy growling to itself and taking the odd few seconds to hammer at its own chest like a territorial gorilla. Their hearts were in their throats, but they knew they had to press on and get this thing taken out, rather than end up with it chasing them.

"Ready?" Nick asked, his voice so low that Ellis almost didn't hear him.

"Yeah." Ellis replied, letting out a quaking breath, "Do it."

Nick took a few running steps and then launched the Molotov at the Tank, who still hadn't noticed their presence until it actually caught on fire. The scream that it let out as it burst into flames was so loud that it reverberated around the buildings nearby, seeming to make it sound even louder. Immediately, Ellis started to open fire on it as Nick got his rifle ready, and the others also joined in, firing round after round into the Tank as it hurtled towards them. When it started to approach Nick and Ellis, they moved behind it to shoot at it while it raced towards the others. With one mighty sweep of its arm, it hit the parked van that Coach and the ladies had used for cover, sending it bouncing towards them. Rochelle and Julia rushed out of the way, both of them grabbing Coach and hauling him with them. The van crashed into a garage nearby, thankfully leaving everyone unharmed.

After a few seconds more, finally, the Tank collapsed to the floor with a wail of agony, its body still on fire. The survivors quickly regrouped, and after a rapid search of the area, the only way forward that they could find was to climb down into a manhole. Nick was far from impressed, but Julia reminded him that he had his hand sanitiser, not that he appreciated it since the prospect of the sewer was so horrid to him. The sewer itself was pitch black. As Nick was the last to jump in, the feeling of him bumping into Rochelle caused her to gasp, and the sound echoed around them quite loudly, making them realise how vulnerable they actually were down there.

A zombie wandering around ahead of them was startled by the noise, and as Coach turned on his flashlight, he found himself face to face with the zombie in question. He knocked the male zombie back harshly and then blew its head off, grimacing at the colour that the water turned as the blood from its corpse mingled with the disgusting brown-yellow colour that the water already was. Leading his group forward, Coach exited the tunnel, thankfully able to see a bright yellow stepladder ahead of them thanks to his flashlight, which would, fingers crossed, lead them back to the surface and out of the dark, disgusting pit they were standing in.

"Let's get up that ladder..."

Once Coach reached the surface again, he stepped away from the manhole cover, his face a portrait of shock and horror. Ahead of him were what must've been at least twenty to thirty vehicles, and about eighty percent of them were alarmed. Everyone else's faces wore equal expressions of shock and horror as they each climbed out of the manhole, their eyes fixed on the route ahead. There were zombies wandering around amongst the cars, so the group knew they desperately had to watch their fire. Thankfully, the alarmed cars had flashing lights, so at the very least, they could distinguish which vehicles were safe to touch and which weren't.

"Be careful... For the love of God, be careful..." Coach breathed out, "We can't be takin' any stupid chances. Just get through the cars and to the other side. Don't touch nothin', don't shoot nothin', not unless ya know ya can't hit an alarmed car at the same time."

"Let's take it slow." Rochelle said with a nod, "Come on..."

Bracing themselves for the rather horrid and nerve-racking journey, the group of five began to carefully make their way through the maze of alarmed cars, hoping to God that they could get through it unscathed...

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **Thanks for reading so far!**

 **I hope you're continuing to enjoy the fic!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hi, guys! I'm back with chapter twenty-eight! I hope you enjoy it!

 **Shin Maxwell:** Normally, I'm _really_ good at avoiding setting off alarmed cars, although when I was really tired once I actually jumped on one like a total moron. Usually, it's an NPC that sets them off, at which point they get cursed at for their stupidity. I'm so pleased that you find Nick and Julia cute as a couple. Imagine Nick's face if he heard that! :P

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Eight -**

The sound of shuffling against the ground caught the attention of Julia and Rochelle, who had to suddenly grab a hold of Ellis as he almost stumbled into a nearby alarmed car.

The walk through the maze of alarmed vehicles had been going quite well until Ellis had tripped over a rock, and now he was balanced precariously while Rochelle and Julia desperately tried to keep him upright. About ten feet ahead, Nick and Coach were watching worriedly, with Nick almost moving to help the girls get Ellis back om a steady footing. He was getting so sick and tired of Ellis' clumsiness because it always seemed to cause problems, such as Julia ending up hurt because Ellis had fallen down that embankment by the motel on the way to _Whispering Oaks_. It needed curbing before it got them all killed, and the anger and fear that he was feeling because of the danger that Ellis' clumsiness could cause, he couldn't help but get angry with the younger man.

"For fuck's sake, Ellis!" He snapped angrily, "Watch where you're walking!"

"Hey, cut it out." Rochelle snapped back, "He tripped, Nick. It wasn't his fault."

"Dumbass is gonna get us all killed. All it's gonna take is him _touching_ a car and we're fucked." Nick growled, shooting at a zombie that came running at them from the direction of a thankfully unalarmed car, "We can't waste the ammo on a horde."

"Alright, take it easy." Julia said quietly, "Let's keep going."

With that, the group continued to move carefully through the parked cars, taking out infected as they went wherever it was safe to do so. Any shot that appeared to be the slightest bit risky wouldn't be taken, which the left the odd zombie wandering around the area. Soon, they managed to reach the other side of the car maze silently, where they actually found themselves at the bottom of a ladder, which led them to a metal staircase. The climb up the staircase was quick but tiring, and everyone was relieved to see the top of it approaching when they started to get out of breath. As they reached the top of said staircase, however, they heard the horrid sound of a car alarm suddenly blaring quite loudly below them.

"One of them zombies just walked into a car..." Ellis said worriedly, looking down at the vehicles they'd just passed, "We gotta go..."

Without another word, the group headed up onto the freeway they'd been following for all this time, trying to ignore the sounds of pounding feet, angry yells and growling as infected started to emerge from different directions, including the way they'd just come from, which led to some of them climbing on or running into the other parked cars. Now a chorus of alarms screamed below them, and that was all it took for the five survivors to start running. They raced towards the end of the freeway, only to find themselves face to face with the blocked road ahead. Cursing, the group looked around for a way down, only to spot the left side of the road which had actually partially collapsed, leaving them with a considerable drop to debris covered embankment below. As the horde that was being attracted by the car alarms was now racing onto the freeway with them, approaching at an alarming speed, the group knew that it was now or never. They _had_ to move.

"Go!" Coach ordered, "Save the ammo, damn it!"

Coach grabbed Rochelle's hand and leapt off of the bridge with her, both of them landing harshly on the hill below. Ellis jumped next, leaving Nick and Julia on the freeway above them, looking at the drop below. Both of them were suddenly taken back to the sewer in Rayford where they jumped into the water together because Nick hadn't wanted to jump by himself. They both found themselves smiling fondly at the memory, however brief it was. Clasping Julia's hand in his own, Nick looked at her with a small smile, trying to reassure her since she was obviously terrified of the long drop next to them.

"Ready?" He asked her, feeling her grip on his hand tighten with unbelievable force.

"Come on, guys!" Ellis cried from below, looking up at them with a grimace.

"One..." Nick began, gripping her hand in return, "Two... Three..."

They both jumped together, their hands still clasped together in that strong, almost loving hold as they then hit the debris pile with hard thuds. The second they were on their feet, all five of them started to sprint, and Nick didn't let go of Julia's hand until they were at the bottom of the hill. They looked desperately for the direction they needed to move in, unable to ignore the sights and sounds of the approaching horde as they could be seen barrelling across the freeway towards them.

"Into the cemetery!" Coach yelled.

"Oh, great! More dead people!" Nick called back, looking over his shoulder, "For fuck's sake, go!"

They weaved in and out of the rows of graves, desperate to leave those angry, ravenous zombies behind them. All of a sudden, however, they were brought to a sudden, skidding halt. A Witch was wandering around between the graves, blocking their path as she moved slowly between the rows of tombstones, crying into her long, clawed hands. They had to be careful now. One wrong move and they'd be screwed, and they all knew it. She came to a stop next to one particularly loud headstone, her sobs continuing to increase in volume with every passing second.

"Just run past her." Coach gasped out, panting for breath, "There's a damn safehouse marker there. We gotta be close to one."

"You sure you wanna run past her?" Ellis asked, also gasping for breath.

Turning around as the sounds of angry infected filled their ears, Julia and Rochelle watched in horror as the horde was now starting to climb over the fencing of the cemetery and some zombies were already hurtling towards them through the rows of graves. Thye had no damn choice now. They were going to have to sprint past her, and the thought made everyone feel anxious and sick.

"Go!" Julia hissed, panicked, "Single file! Go!"

One by one, the group ran past the Witch, leaving her growling to herself as she watched them go. The thundering horde that was chasing them would no doubt startle her, so time was now most certainly of the essence to get out of the way before she flipped out. Thankfully, it only took them a couple of seconds to find the saferoom in question, which was what appeared to be the lobby of some apartment building, and as the Witch's scream filled their ears, along with the hideous cries and the angry yells of the horde, they all raced to get the door closed and barricaded. As soon as that task was done, Julia was in Nick's arms, hugging him tightly with relief that they'd just made it out of that situation unscathed.

Nick's focus, however, wasn't actually on her for the time being. It was on the writing on the wall behind her. ' _Thanks for nothing, CEDA!'_ , ' _Carriers = Zombies_ ', ' _Kill all carriers'_... Carriers... Were they people who had the disease already but didn't succumb to the symptoms? And if so, were they responsible for infecting everyone else? What if he, Rochelle, Ellis, Coach and Julia were all carriers? What if that was the reason that their chopper pilot had turned on the way to New Orleans? Surely Virgil would've turned too if that was the case... Unless he was a carrier too...

"We might be in trouble here." The conman said quietly, turning Julia around to show her the wall.

"Carriers?" Ellis asked, his brow knotted with worry, "Ain't that like people who spread the disease around but don't actually get sick from it?"

"Not quite... If you're a carrier, you already have the actual disease, so you're already sick... You just don't experience its symptoms, but yes, you do spread it." Julia replied, a lump forming in her throat, "What if...? What if that's us? Are CEDA and the military gonna kill us, if...?"

"Don't talk like that, young 'un." Coach said gently, "We don't know nothin' yet..."

"We can't just not go to CEDA." Rochelle added with a look of worry on her face, "If they try and kill us, we..."

"We what?" Nick asked with an arched eyebrow, interrupting the producer harshly, "They'll take everything we have from us when we get to them. We'll have _nothing_ to defend ourselves with."

"Well, wait just one minute..." Ellis said, his brow now furrowed in thought, "If carriers spread the disease but don't suffer no symptoms, carriers is all that's gonna be left in the end. We can't infect each other, right?"

"Boy, that's probably the most sensible thing I've heard ya say since we met." Coach said with a grin, "We ain't infected. If we are carriers, that means we haven't infected each other. So, Ellis' logic works... Carriers ain't gonna make each other sick."

"Okay..." Julia breathed out, pressing up against Nick with a worried grimace plastered on her pretty features, "Then we need to keep going."

"Let's get ready to move out, folks." Coach said, turning to Nick who was still reading the scrawlings on the safe room wall, "It'll be okay, Nick. I'm sure of it."

' _Yeah..._ ' Nick thought bitterly, ' _Trust the village idiot's logic. We're so screwed..._ '

"Nick? Baby, we have to go..."

Julia's sweet, but frightened voice brought Nick out of his thoughts, and as he looked at his girlfriend, he knew she needed his reassurance and his strength. It was probably the first time he'd actually thought like that since his teenage years when he used to protect his mother and sister. So, placing a hand gently on her back and guiding her forward, Nick and Julia headed out of the safe room after the others, both of them now seriously fearing that they might not make it out of this after all. All that hard work, tears, toil and effort will have been for nothing...

Heading out into a small backstreet area, the group passed the large fountain in the centre of it, taking out infected as they went. They ventured into what turned out to be a store, and upon finding no way out, they climbed a set of stairs to get to the upper floor, which then led them onto a balcony above another street. The drop to the ground didn't look too appealing, but when Ellis pointed out that they could jump across to the next building and use a parked van to get to ground level, the five survivors decided to go for it. Ellis went first, followed by Rochelle, who stumbled awkwardly as she landed. They thought for a moment that she might have twisted her ankle or something, but thankfully, she was okay. Coach followed after, beckoning Julia across who almost collided with the older man as she landed on the next balcony.

Encouraging her to climb down, Coach then waited for Nick, who did the cleanest jump out of all of them, and then ensured that Coach could climb to ground level first. Just as Nick was about to follow, he spotted a luminous green trail ahead of them, and after quickly realising what was actually approaching them, he took aim with his rifle to kill the threat before it could do any damage.

"Spitter!" He yelled, opening fire on the approaching female zombie as she weaved from side to side, the acid spilling from her mouth and onto the ground.

Luckily, Ellis got a killer shot in there before she could spit at them, and as he and the girls started to clear out the zombies at street level, Nick and Coach followed, reloading their weapons. Upon reaching the end of this street, they found that it was blocked off by a bus, so, they took a right and headed into another building. It transpired that it was a pool hall and jazz club, which had a fair few zombies inside. Thinking of how only weeks ago this place would've been bustling with people who were drinking, playing pool, dancing and happily listening to music with their friends, the group fell into solemn silence. Now, it was just another hellish, empty, shell of a building with infected people inside who were as good as dead.

They took absolutely no pleasure as they moved through the lower floor of that building in shooting the infected as they ran at them. It suddenly seemed to be much more difficult to do. Before, there had been no time to think of things like this, and while there certainly wasn't now, the purpose of the building had been enough to draw that thought into everyone's heads, and each of them was now dealing with their own personal difficulties when it came to killing the zombies who came running at them. After moving through the rooms, the group came across a staircase, and with nowhere else to go, they headed up there quickly, knowing that they were running out of time to get to safety.

Ellis was at the front of the group, moving up the stairs with his shotgun aimed in front of him. As he looked over his shoulder to check that the others were behind him, he didn't see or hear the Hunter emerging onto the corridor that he was facing, and slowly, the creature started to crawl towards him silently, ready to pounce. The second that Ellis turned his head, the Hunter was off its feet, leaping through the air so fast that Ellis didn't have time to register what was happening and _wham_! The mechanic was down, the Hunter pinning him to the ground by straddling his chest before frantically trying to tear him to shreds, causing Ellis to let out a startled shout of horror and terror. Thankfully, his friends were close by, and just as he felt the Hunter's claws dig into his left arm, he saw flashes of black, grey and blue flying towards him, relief flooding his system at the knowledge that someone was there to save him.

Rochelle and Julia sprang straight into action, hitting the Hunter off of their friend with their guns. As it tried to flee, they both opened fire on it, walking towards it with angry, snarling expressions on their faces as they tried to avenge their now injured friends, and within seconds, it fell dead with a pained yelp. The girls taking care of the Hunter left Nick and Coach to get Ellis on his feet again, who was both shaken and pale from the ordeal. His arm was scratched and bleeding badly, so Coach rummaged through his bag to look for his first aid supplies to clean and bandage the wound. Within a few moments, Ellis was bandaged up, but his arm was causing him a lot of pain. The group could only hope that they weren't too far away from that damn bridge.

Upon reaching the edge of the railing of the upstairs hallway, it was apparent that the only way down was to jump. Nick offered to go first but decided to try and ease himself down to the ground level, which worked better than actually jumping. When he'd landed safely, the others quickly followed him, but Ellis, who had difficulty due to his already injured arm, fell the last couple of feet, stumbling awkwardly only to be steadied by the girls.

"Are you gonna be able to carry your weapon, El?" Julia asked worriedly.

"I'll be just fine and dandy, Jules." Ellis said with a grimace, "Don't ya worry about me none..."

"Let's keep going then." Nick said, letting out a deep breath, "Ellis, if you're struggling and you need to stop using your gun, you need to tell us so we can cover you, 'kay?"

"Okay..." Ellis said, biting his lip with worry plastered across his face.

Nick patted his uninjured arm reassuringly, and with the others, they headed out of the large shuttered door ahead of them. They came to yet another alleyway, which they quickly navigated to try and find a way out of the area. Spotting an entrance to yet another building, the group of five made their way inside carefully, taking out the infected lingering inside before proceeding to the upper floors where they were relieved to find a nice, big pile of ammo.

"We'd better stock up, y'all." Coach said with a sigh, "God knows, I think we're gonna need as much of this as we can take."

As everyone grabbed whatever ammo they could, Nick took a look out of the open doorway that they were standing next to. There were zombies _everywhere_ below them. There was barely a patch of ground to be seen and the infected now seemed more intimidating than ever so no-one was exactly keen on disturbing them. Swallowing hard, Nick stepped out onto the balcony ahead, not surprised to find Julia faithfully following behind him, reloading her rifle. He heard her let out a quiet but horrified gasp at the sight. Their way down would be difficult, everyone knew as much, and now that Ellis was injured, it only had the potential to make things worse. Now, they were in an enclosed space, with buildings all around them and fencing preventing them from getting out. The area below them was cluttered with smaller buildings and dumpsters, as well as planters full of foliage that some of the zombies were now wading through and trampling on.

"Nick..." His girlfriend's frightened voice brought the conman out of his thoughts.

Julia was scared. There were so many zombies down there that it seemed almost impossible to take them all out. There wasn't exactly anything they could use to distract them or separate them either. She was starting to experience unbelievable anxiety now. Her legs were physically shaking, her heart was hammering and she felt as though she could vomit. The sense of panic she was feeling was unreal. She felt a large, but surprisingly gentle hand on her left arm, followed by a long kiss that was placed on the top of her head in a tender fashion, clearly with the purpose of comforting and reassuring her which did actually help quell her fear, if only a little.

"We can get through this. We just have to improvise. Okay?" Nick said softly, squeezing her shoulder carefully.

"Okay." Julia nodded, swallowing hard as she looked at the zombies below them.

"I think I see a way across there..." Coach said, pointing to a building on the other side of the street, "Looks like a safe house marker."

"Is there any way to get across to that building?" Rochelle asked, moving to get a good look herself.

"No... It's too far to jump." Nick muttered angrily, "Fuck."

The screaming of a fighter jet overhead caused the group of five to startle, each of them wincing as it was soon followed by the sound of more explosions. They now felt more desperate than ever. They were running out of time and fast. Another jet passed by, and just over the fencing on the ground to their left, there was another explosion, so loud that Julia and Rochelle let out a terrified yelp while Julia suddenly grabbed Nick and semi-hid herself behind him.

"Shit!" Ellis exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic, "Oh, damn! We're runnin' outta time here, guys... What do we do?!"

"Don't panic!" Coach said, sounding panicked himself, "We ain't outta this yet, but it ain't over yet either. Get lookin' for a way across to that buildin'."

"We can get a better look from that roof." Nick said, pointing to the roof ahead of them, "Come on."

One by one, they leapt onto the roof, catching the attention of some of the infected below them. Thankfully, there was a way across to the other building, which was given to them by some kind of carnival float that was parked right between their building and the building they wanted to get to, and its platforms were just high enough for them to get across. Relief washed over all five of them at the sight.

"And here I was thinking we'd have to do some stupid, convoluted shit to get across here." Nick smirked, "I'll be damned. Fate's being nice to us for once."

"Let's go." Coach said, relief present in his voice and his face as he stepped forward, "We don't have time to be hangin' around here celebratin'."

Moving onto the scaffolding ahead, Nick went first, landing on the float which, of course, alerted the zombies below. Angrily, they started to growl, moving to climb onto the float and to try and get up the scaffolding where the others were now moving onto. Nick started to provide covering fire, sighing with relief as Julia and Ellis made it across first. Coach and Rochelle came after them, and all of them tried to get rid of some of the oncoming zombies as Nick then moved to climb into the other building. Ellis went next, followed by Julia and Rochelle, and then last but not least, Coach joined them, and with a few more infected taken out, the group proceeded into the building, trying to find a way out.

"Down here." Ellis breathed out as he reached the top of some stairs, grimacing in pain when he looked at his injured arm, "This stings like hell."

"I'll get you something." Julia offered, handing her rifle to Nick, "Hold this, please."

Nick grinned to himself, taking the rifle from her. Even in a time of panic and crisis, she retained her sweet nature and her good manners. She rummaged through her bag, pulling out a bottle of painkillers and handing them to Ellis, who swallowed them dry with great difficulty, coughing and wincing at the taste of them. He thanked her with a nod, and as Julia zipped up her bag, Nick handed her the rifle back, allowing the group to continue on their way.

They quickly moved into a back alley, finding themselves with only one way to go, which was into a building with blue siding, an open doorway and one lone zombie staggering around in view. Julia took it out with her Magnum, hitting the infected right in the side of its head, causing it to drop down and slump against the wall, leaving a trail of dark blood in its wake.

It turned out to be some kind of store, which had clearly been looted within an inch of its life in the early stages of the infection. The few zombies wandering inside were taken out very quickly, and the group wasted no time in getting back out onto the street, rushing to try and find their next safe room. Just as Julia and Nick got out onto the street, an explosion sounded to their right, causing the ground to shake and the building to their immediate right to break apart. Pieces of debris started to fall down towards them, and the five survivors, who had spent a few seconds staring in horror, raced out of the way of the falling building and tried to look for another route.

"They're bombing _us_ now! For fuck's sake!" Nick cursed angrily, his heart lurching in his chest, "I don't even think going to these guys is gonna be a good idea. For all we know, they're gonna line us up and kill us."

"Feel free to set up home here, Nick." Coach said with a glare.

"Nick, please don't." Julia whispered, her big brown eyes wide and sparkling, "Please..."

Nick turned to look at her, his heart once again lurching uncomfortably as he saw how much colour her face had lost. She was so frightened. He could even see her trembling. He took a moment to pause and to brush a strand of her hair out of her face in an attempt to soothe her. He apologised to her softly, knowing his anger wasn't helpful to her at all, no matter how he was feeling. He was amazed that he was even thinking of her this way. He'd never thought of his partners' feelings in this way before, but now it just seemed natural to consider her feelings with everything that he did. He could almost feel the relief course through her when he spoke more calmly, and he looked back at Coach, who was watching him warily, nodding to him with a sigh of resignation that he really didn't have much choice about the situation.

"Let's go."

Quickly moving down the street, the group entered the only open building they could see, unable to find anything useful other than a set of stairs, which led them through an exit door and onto a small, flat roof. The ladder they were able to use to get to ground level led them into a back alley, where a safehouse marker had been spray painted on the wall. Another pile of ammo sat in the corner, clearly dumped by someone in a rush. There wasn't much, but enough to keep them going. Only meters away was a gap in a large fence, so, turning right into that, they spotted their way out through another building to their left.

There were now so close to the bridge that they could almost touch it. Knowing that they were so close sent everyone into even further worry and urgency, and their run to the saferoom was the fastest run they'd made on their whole journey. Moving around parked vehicles and through a concrete barricade, the group finally found their safe room, which they couldn't wait to occupy.

"Get that door shut." Coach panted, "Ellis, let me check your arm..."

Rochelle, Nick and Julia hurried to get the door barricaded and they then used the opportunity after that exhausting chore was done to get their breath back after the run. The five of them took the time to quickly help redress Ellis' arm, being sure to clean it as best they could considering it was a deep wound.

"This ain't... I ain't gonna turn... Right?" Ellis asked worriedly, looking up at the group with a pale face and frightened expression.

For the briefest of seconds, no-one knew what to say because they didn't know for certain whether a scratch from a Hunter was going to cause him to become infected or not. Nick, however, much to everyone's amazement, was the first to come to his rescue.

"Don't worry, El. It didn't bite you, right?" He said with a small smile, "As long as you're not bitten, you're fine."

Ellis didn't really seem comforted by this, but regardless, he nodded, smiled weakly and got to his feet, his arm now clean and bandaged. He didn't hesitate before moving to the right of where he was sitting, climbing the ladder that was against the wall. Everyone else looked at each other, their eyes each betraying their calm exteriors. If Ellis _did_ turn... No. No, they weren't going to think like that. They were going to focus on getting off that bridge and to the safety of the military.

Once they were all at the top level of the safehouse, they looked at one another with a whole host of emotions; sadness, fear, worry and dread. Julia was the first to set her weapon down by the door, and she slowly, nervously opened her arms to the others. Taking the hint, Rochelle set her own weapon down, moving forward to wrap the younger woman in a hug. Ellis then did the same, followed by Coach, and then Nick, who knew that this could be the last time he'd get to hold his girlfriend, pushed the feeling of embarrassment as far down into his stomach as he could, and he stepped towards the group, stepping between Julia and Rochelle before joining in with the five-person hug.

As they released one another, the group slowly readied their weapons and tried to prepare themselves for the daunting task ahead of heading out onto the bridge.

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thank you for continuing to read this and support me! It's _very_ much appreciated!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Well, hello! I hope you're all doing well! Thank you again for the continued support. It does mean a lot to me, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

 **Shin Maxwell:** Yeah, I've never had a zombie set off a car alarm in-game, but realistically it would make sense that zombies would bump into cars and set the alarms off. The cars in-game are apparently sensitive to being bumped into or whatever. Anyway, thanks for another review! I look forward to reading them when they come through. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Twenty-Nine -**

The air had seemingly become very quiet apart from the distant sounds of jets circling the area as Coach, Rochelle, Julia, Ellis and Nick all made their way onto the Memorial Bridge, the last gauntlet between themselves and rescue.

They'd come so far together, and even though they hadn't been together for very long, their journey had been a tough and dangerous one, causing them to have to rely and depend on each other for protection and survival. Actually, the group had found themselves becoming so close that now, they were practically family. No-one was getting left behind, no matter what, and now they were at the final stretch, they knew that they desperately had to pull together as a team in order for them to actually make it out of this alive. Ellis' arm was still giving him a lot of discomfort, and the group could see how difficult he was finding it to carry his shotgun, so they were all prepared to step up and protect him if necessary. They had a feeling that he might have to abandon it soon, and he'd then have to rely on them to keep him safe until they got to safety.

Stepping onto the bridge, they were confronted with the bloodied body of a fallen survivor, who was clutching a crackling radio in his hand. That radio was probably their only way of contacting the military and when they could hear it crackling, the survivors' sense of urgency seemed to increase at a sickening rate since they knew that they had very little time to actually arrange a rescue with the military. Nick didn't waste any time before grabbing the radio, hitting the button on the side and calling out to anyone who might be able to hear them.

" _Christ!_ " Came a sudden shout from the other side, " _That's coming from the bridge! Are you alone?!"_

The relief that the group felt when they heard a voice responding to them was incredible. Rochelle leant against Ellis with a big grin on her face, Julia felt her knees buckle a little as she let out a rather emotional sounding laugh, and Coach found himself putting an arm around the youngest member of the group, also laughing quietly to himself while he offered her a quick, warm, fatherly hug.

"There are five of us here! Three men and two women!" Nick yelled over the sound of another jet which was passing overhead, gripping the radio tightly in his hand.

" _Are you immune?_ " The soldier on the radio asked.

"We're not infected..." Nick answered, a little concerned as to why that question was being asked.

The last thing that he wanted was for them to get to safety only to be shot dead by the military because they were carriers. That might be the reason why they'd lasted this long in the first place. The question still hung in the balance as to whether Ellis was going to turn or not. His injured arm was going to be a serious cause for concern and if he did turn, were the rest of them going to be killed for bringing an infected person into an environment with immune people?

" _Negative, bridge. Are you immune? Have you encountered the infected?"_

"Have we encountered the infected? Jesus Christ, we've just fought through them all the way from Georgia to get here. We're clearly immune." Nick replied with a roll of his eyes, "You're gonna pick us up, right?"

" _You need to lower the bridge so that you can cross. There should be a control panel close to where you are right now."_ The soldier instructed him, " _You see it?"_

Nick spotted it to his right and moved to look for the correct switch. It wasn't overly complicated, and thankfully, the correct switch was labelled, so he looked at it his friends, who all eagerly nodded for him to go ahead and get their last run underway, almost as though he wanted their blessing before he hit the switch in question. It felt so surreal to think that this was going to be their last challenge, the last trial they'd have to get through before someone could actually save them for real this time. This was their last chance, and no matter what, they could _not_ screw it up.

"I got it." He said with a shaky breath, "I got it."

" _Alright, you need to make it across the bridge where a chopper will be waiting to pick you up. Our ETA is ten minutes. Good luck."_

Never had those words sounded so sinister. This was it. This was make or break. If they didn't reach the other side of that bridge, they really would be left to die and there'd be nothing that anyone could do about it. Nick swallowed hard, put his hand on the switch and set the bridge in motion, the radio still held in his now trembling hand. He was genuinely nervous. He knew that everyone else was too, but it was unusual for him to feel so anxious and so frantic. The pressure was immense, and all of them felt as though one wrong move could let the whole team down.

"Thanks." Nick said to the soldier, pocketing the radio before retrieving his rifle, stepping back to watch the bridge lower with the others.

"No-one gets left behind." Coach said, his gaze locked on the path ahead in both determination and anxiety, "We move fast, we watch our backs and we'll be fine."

As the bridge finally stopped, and the metal barriers lowered themselves down, the group of five broke into a run, immediately weaving through the parked vehicles as the screaming of zombies filled the air, seemingly louder and more horrifying than it had ever been. They knew that they couldn't stop unless it was absolutely necessary, and as the first zombies started to come into view, their limbs flailing madly as they raced towards the survivors, the group opened fire on their oncoming enemies, taking them down quickly.

They could hear the pounding feet, the angry yells, the growling, the snarling and the screaming, and as Coach rounded the front of a bus, he found himself face to face with six zombies. Hitting the zombie at the front back with his gun, he then opened fire, his combat shotgun tearing the group to shreds. This time, there was no guilt, no worry and no sorrow for the former-humans he'd just taken out. It had been beyond satisfying to remove the threat and to be able to continue on his way.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" He said with a grin, moving to join the others.

He spotted Nick suddenly dragging Rochelle out of the way of an oncoming Charger, and then found Julia and Ellis trying to take out a rather large pack of zombies who were climbing over vehicles to get to them. Seeing that Nick and Rochelle both clearly had control over the situation with the Charger, he moved to help Julia and Ellis, offering them some covering fire as they both tried to get out of the way of the wave of infected that was approaching them. With Nick and Rochelle returning to them, they managed to clear a path for themselves, and continued on, running as fast as they could.

They quickly came to a hole in the bridge, clearly from the bombing run, and a truck hung haphazardly over the side, creaking as its cab swung ever so slightly in the breeze. There was a small ledge that they could use to get across to the other side of the hole, so, taking Julia's hand, Nick went first, pulling his girlfriend carefully with him so that they could take out more approaching zombies to give the others time to cross. Ellis followed them, then Rochelle and with Coach at the back, and just as they got to the other side, they heard the ominous spluttering and coughing of a Smoker, who Nick caught sight of just feet away from them.

"Smoker!" He yelled, opening fire on the zombie who tried to stumble away from them, green, putrid smoke emitting from its infected body.

With Julia and Rochelle's help, the Smoker was killed within seconds, its body collapsing on the ground nearby. More infected were rushing towards them, arms outstretched, bloody mouths agape and glowing eyes wide and hungry. Running towards the horde, the group were suddenly confronted with a line of tall vehicles, all parked close enough to each other to provide them with a safe space somewhere off of ground level. Spotting a ladder on the back of a fuel tanker, Julia told the others to climb up, and she stayed on the ground to cover them as Ellis climbed first, followed by Coach, then Rochelle and then Nick.

"Babe, come on!" He called to her, kneeling on top of the tanker to cover her while she managed to climb to the top of the vehicle.

Carefully running across the top, one by one, the survivors leapt from the tanker and onto a bus, then again onto another bus before realising they'd have to get back to the ground again. Ellis hopped down to the ground first, opening fire on more of the zombies that were rushing towards them while the others climbed down to the ground as well, all of them breaking into a run once again. The horde seemed relentless, pouring towards the survivors from the path ahead like cockroaches scurrying out of the light, and the five of them started to grow worried that they may not have enough ammo to actually get to the other side.

"Keep moving!" Nick yelled, "Fuck these assholes, just go!"

Up ahead, there was a large shape moving towards them between the hordes of zombies, and as Rochelle screamed out a warning that it was approaching, the group shot at the oncoming zombie, causing it to explode and send some of the infected that it was running by to actually stumble and fall over the side of the bridge. The Boomer's lower body rolled a little in a rather darkly funny way, slipping over the edge of another huge hole in the bridge.

"Stay close!" Julia called, "We have another ledge to cross!"

Everyone moved as carefully as they could over the gap, proceeding onward towards a ramp. Choosing between going up the ramp or staying on the lower level of the bridge wasn't difficult when the roar of a Tank filled their ears, and without even needing to tell each other, they started to climb the ramp to give themselves a fighting chance against the big, hulking zombie, who was now starting to climb up on vehicles to head them off at the other side. Without hesitation, Nick knelt down to start opening fire, while Rochelle and Julia covered him from above. Ellis and Coach moved closer to deliver more devastating shots to the Tank, who was now coming towards them at an alarming speed. It tore a chunk of concrete out of the ground and hauled it at Coach, who was unable to dodge it in time and was sent crashing to the floor, leaving a wounded Ellis alone to try and take the Tank out.

It fell to the ground after a few more rounds from Nick and the girls, who then rushed to help get Coach on his feet. Coughing and holding his side, Coach managed to get back up, his lip now cut and bleeding. Giving the others a nod to say that he was okay to go, the group raced past the Tank's corpse and found themselves with the broken remains of this level of the bridge. They could see that they had a route down to the lower level by climbing on the top of a truck, so they let Coach and Ellis go first and Nick went last, making sure that Rochelle and Julia got down there safely.

"We can't be too far away now!" Rochelle yelled out, "Let's keep going!"

Breaking into a run, the group continued to shoot at the oncoming zombies, feeling more and more conscious about their ammo levels with every second that passed. If they ran out, how were they going to make it to the safety of their approaching rescue vehicle? They hadn't seen any weapons lying around and they certainly hadn't spotted any ammo either. A sudden squealing from up ahead caught their attention, and they could see the bright green acid dripping from the mouth of a Spitter who was approaching them from another higher level of the bridge. The structure had obviously taken a lot of damage from the bombing run, and the group knew that they were going to have to be careful since the bridge was clearly far from safe to be crossing like this.

One clean shot from Julia sent the Spitter crashing to the ground, leaving a pool of acid to form around her body. Knowing that they had to get to the higher levels, there were a very panicked few seconds where the group were rushing around to try and find a way up there. Realising that they were standing next to another fuel tanker, they quickly started to climb, using the top of that vehicle as a means to reach the higher level. With the Spitter's acid now dissolved, the five survivors made their way onto the higher part of the bridge, with Ellis at the front shooting the zombies that were climbing towards them from the lower level.

"I need a minute!" Coach yelled suddenly, bringing the group to a halt, "My ribs..."

Without waiting for anything, Rochelle rummaged through her bag for some deep heat gel, ordered the others to cover her, and immediately got to work giving Coach some pain relief. Coach tried to catch his breath as Rochelle worked on him, while Ellis, Nick and Julia continued to shoot the horde that was still racing towards them from up ahead.

"Hurry it up, Ro!" Nick yelled, knocking a male infected back so hard that he stumbled off the ledge that he and the others were close to.

"Patience is a virtue, Nick!" She yelled back, continuing to apply the gel to Coach's ribs.

Before Nick could respond, there was a screech from ahead of them, and crawling across the top of the bus that they knew they would need to use to get back to ground level were three Hunters, each sounding angrier than the other Hunters they'd encountered before. Opening fire on the Hunters, Nick managed to take out the leader with his rifle but Ellis and Julia's bullets wounded the other two, sending them leaping in separate directions.

"Terrific..." Nick growled under this breath, "Keep your eyes open! We got two loose Hunters out here!"

"Okay, we're ready!" Rochelle called, helping Coach back to his feet, "Let's go!"

"Onto this bus!" Julia cried out, her eyes wide and panicked, "Go!"

One by one, they climbed onto the roof of the bus, continuing to shoot at approaching infected while trying to steadily make their way down to the front of the bus and safely to ground level. The highway ahead of them was now blocked, but an opening to the right appeared to be where they needed to go. Racing between the chainlink fences that the military had put in place, the group finally felt like they were leaving the horde behind. The sound of growling and snarling caught their attention, and both Coach and Rochelle turned to see the two Hunters approaching again, both of them opening fire on the creatures which finally took out the threat and sent them collapsing dead to the floor. Now, hopefully, the group could complete their journey and get to the pick-up point safely.

However, just as they felt they were about to make a run to where the helicopter would land, which was now approaching from the left of the bridge, a hideously loud roar came from ahead. Another Tank was now hitting vehicles out of the way on the other side of a chainlink fence. Knowing they couldn't outrun it, the survivors started to open fire on it, all of them horrified when it started to climb over the fence towards them. The helicopter came to land on their right, and the group were going to have to climb down from their current location and make their way across and through another maze of fencing to get to it. They were running out of time.

"Run! Go now!" Nick yelled, "We can't hang around! Go!"

The Tank was halfway over the fence as the group sprinted past it, with Ellis and Rochelle both leaping off the ledge first and landing on the top of a parked truck. As they climbed down to ground level, Coach went next, and Julia ushered Nick to follow him, looking behind her in utter horror as she saw the Tank moving towards her. At that moment, her eyes locked onto those of the enormous infected, and her heart stopped beating for the briefest of moments. Almost as if in slow motion, it raised its arm, letting out a blood-chilling roar before hurling itself at her, hitting her in the stomach and chest with its enormous fist.

She felt herself being lifted from the ground, her body flying backwards at an alarming rate. Everything around her seemed to suddenly slow down. The last thing she saw as she hurtled backwards and past her friends was the Tank beating its chest when all of a sudden her world fell dark...

* * *

The sight and sound of Julia's body hitting the parked car ahead of them were both utterly horrific. Nick let out the most grief-stricken cry of horror that any of the others had heard before, and he leapt from the top of the truck, not caring about the shooting pain he felt in his feet as he landed before sprinting to where his girlfriend's prone body was now laying. Dropping his gun, he fell to his knees, a huge lump of emotion sitting in his throat as he tried to ease her away from the car. She had a nasty gash on the side of her head, and already, an awfully dark bruise was beginning to form on her beautiful face.

"Jules...?" He whispered to her almost desperately as the others raced towards him, "Baby, can you hear me?"

This was it... His punishment... They were almost home free. The helicopter was waiting for them and it had literally been in their sights but that Tank just _had_ to... Everything that they'd fought through to get here hadn't been enough to take her down. Her abusive partner hadn't been enough to take her down either, but one swat from a Tank had left her incapacitated and unable to move on her own. That helicopter could take off at any moment, and he knew that there was a very real chance that he'd have to leave her behind. He'd known all this time that _something_ was going to come and take her away from him. Why the fuck had he gone first? It should be him laying on the ground like this now, not her.

"Nick!" Rochelle got to him first, falling to her knees beside him, "Nick, we have to go! The chopper's gonna leave if we don't...!"

" _For fuck's sake, Ro_!" Nick screamed suddenly, startling Rochelle so much that she fell backwards, "I can't leave her! I _can't_ leave her!"

For the first time in over twenty years, Nick felt a burning sensation in his eyes, and his vision became blurry. Rochelle was stunned by what she was seeing. There were real, genuine tears in Nick's eyes, his cheeks becoming blotchy and his chest heaving with every breath he took. Rochelle gazed at him with pity in her eyes, her hand immediately moving to cup his cheek firmly, but warmly in a motherly fashion.

"Nick..."

"Pick her up!" A commanding voice filled the group's ears, and they looked up to see two soldiers racing towards them, both of them opening fire on the Tank that was now starting to climb to ground level, "Pick her up now! Move!"

Rochelle grabbed Nick's gun and Ellis grabbed Julia's while Nick hauled his injured girlfriend into his arms. She was sickly white, her lips parted and her small, frail body limp in his embrace, so he held her tightly, being sure that there was no way that he could drop her. Coach managed to ease Julia's bag off of her and carried it himself while turning around to open fire on the Tank.

The dark-haired soldier who had told Nick to pick Julia up was running behind them, yelling at them to keep going. The blonde soldier at the front was radioing the helicopter ahead, and as they reached the last stretch to the chopper, he stopped, ushering Ellis, Rochelle, Nick and Coach past him before joining his friend at the back of the group. This was it... They were finally going to get out of there... But at what cost?

Nick looked briefly at Julia, who was lying still in his arms, blood now smeared across her soft, precious face, her eyes still closed and her breathing now laboured. Why was her breathing laboured? What other injuries had she received after hitting that damn car? Panic suddenly filled him so violently that he was almost physically sick, but as the open door of the helicopter came into view, he knew he had to push that feeling away for just long enough to get to safety.

Rochelle and Ellis got up the ramp first, and as Nick entered with Julia he met two more soldiers, an African-American man who was now tending to Ellis, and a dirty-blonde-haired man who was beckoning him closer over the roar of the chopper. There was a stretcher waiting in the small space, which Nick knew was going to be used for Julia.

As he eased her carefully onto the stretcher with the help of the soldier, Coach and the other two soldiers rushed into the helicopter. The ramp door slowly closed as the chopper started to lift from the ground, and the roar of the Tank faded into the distance. Coach moved to join his fellow survivors, he sat beside a now unusually emotional Rochelle, who was holding onto Ellis' hand as the African-American soldier prodded and poked at his wound. Ellis' injured arm, which was now stretched outward, rested on Nick's shoulder as he held onto Julia's hand, squeezing it tightly in his own. His emotion seemed to have passed for now, and he was more focused on just being there for Julia as the soldier beside him started to try and care for her.

"What's her name?!" He asked Nick over the roar of the engines.

"Julia!" Nick answered, "Her name's Julia!"

The soldier then started to address her by her name, trying to get her to respond to him. She lay there unmoving, barely breathing by the looks of it, and Nick couldn't shake the God-awful feeling that he was going to lose her. It wasn't until a few moments later that the soldier suddenly moved towards Julia's face, tilting his ear towards her lips. Within seconds, Nick saw him kneeling up, the movement forcing Nick to release Julia's hand. He didn't need to ask what was going on. He already knew.

He felt a strong hand on his shoulder, and he felt himself being pulled away by the dark-haired soldier who'd helped get them to safety, who was now moving to help care for Julia. Nick sat down next to Coach, unable to take his eyes off of what was now happening to his girlfriend, her small body jerking as the dark-haired soldier started chest compressions. Ellis now had an arm around a once again emotional Rochelle while Coach carefully moved to put his arm around Nick in support, clasping his shoulder in what could only be described as a fatherly fashion. With his heart in his throat, the only sound that Nick could focus on as the dirty-blonde-haired soldier injected something into Julia's pale, limp arm was Coach's deep voice near his ear, saying what he thought might be a prayer.

Nothing mattered now. Not a damn thing. If he lost Julia, he didn't want to be saved. He'd only just started to get to know her properly, learning all of her little quirks, her likes and dislikes, and learning how to care for her and make her happy. He'd only just started to accept the fact that he wanted to be in a long-term, loving relationship with her. He'd only just started to allow himself to be freer with her and to trust her with the side of him he hadn't shown for such a long time, and now she was being taken from him. Words could barely describe what he was feeling at that moment. Anger... Fear... _Hate_ even. He was sure there were grief and sadness in there too, but the anger he felt at himself was immeasurable.

The sight of the soldier in front shaking his head was all it took for those walls to start to break again, and for the first time since he was a child, Nick found himself clasping his hands together, bowing his head and closing his eyes before desperately praying for his girlfriend to be saved...

 **~ To Be Continued ~**

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 **Muahaha! I strike again with my cliffhangers!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading this so far!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _ **Left 4 Dead 2**_ or its characters. I only own my OCs.

 **A/N:** Hello, everyone! So, here we are... This is the final chapter, and as you'll notice, it's shorter than the rest of the chapters I've published, but hopefully its still as good quality as the rest. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has read, favourited, followed and reviewed this story! It really does give me a good boost in my confidence. Stay tuned because the sequel will be published as soon as possible.

 **Shin Maxwell:** Thank you so, so, so much for being so supportive with this fic. I'm hoping to hear from you again when the sequel is published, and I really hope you enjoy this last chapter. :D

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 **~ Not So Forsaken ~**

 **\- Chapter Thirty -**

 _ **Ten Weeks Later**_

Splashing cold water onto his face, Nick leant over the bathroom sink, glancing up at his reflection on the mirror on the cabinet door above it.

His eyes were dark and bloodshot, his face pale and his hair tousled rather than in its usual slicked-back state. His white t-shirt clung to his sweat-peppered chest, framing his sculpted body just enough to reveal its toned and well-formed shape. The nightmares had gotten to him this time. In the weeks after the infection, nightmares had become rather commonplace considering the fact that he and his companions had endured rather severe trauma on their journey from Georgia to New Orleans. He imagined that many of the other survivors were also going through the same thing considering the horrors that they would've seen. Repeatedly being surrounded by death and other monstrous sights does that to people.

After spending almost two months on cruise liners and aircraft carriers in the middle of the ocean, the military had finally started moving people back to land. They'd managed to actually set up a zombie-free zone in Pennsylvania, and had fortified borders around small sections of the state before then starting to increase said borders to therefore increase the amount of space that they would have to house the survivors. Nick and his friends had been disturbed to find out that indeed they were carriers, and that carriers were the only people left. With CEDA currently working on some kind of cure to rid the carriers of the last strands of the virus, the various ships had been commanded one by one to come into land and the survivors were transported to designated homes in the safe zone.

Nick and his fellow survivors had been placed in a one-storey house with three bedrooms on a quiet residential street in some shitty little town that he hadn't even cared to learn the name of. They'd only been there for a little over a week and it was still hard to adjust to sleeping in the comfort of a real bed or to have more than one change of clothes. Looking back at his reflection, he could see what the exhaustion was starting to do to him. At least he didn't have to go and work a job in his current state. The military hadn't gotten as far as handing out jobs to people yet, and Nick, like the others, was trying to enjoy the free time he had to catch up on much-needed rest.

Knowing that he needed to go back to bed, Nick dried his face on the soft blue towel that sat on the white railing to his right before readjusting his black pyjama pants. He carefully made his way out of the white and blue bathroom, almost visibly startling when he nearly walked right into Rochelle, who was leaning against the coffee-coloured wall of the hallway he was stepping into.

"Damn it, Ro..." He whispered, "You scared the shit out of me..."

"Nightmares again?" Rochelle asked him kindly, rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes as he nodded, "Me too."

"I'm gonna head back to bed for a few hours." Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Might be able to get some more sleep."

"Yeah, I wanna do the same," Rochelle murmured, "But, Ellis is up and he'll want a hand with breakfast so... I dunno..."

Ah, Ellis... It had been touch and go with Ellis for the first few days. CEDA had done stupid amounts of tests on him just to be one-hundred-percent certain that he wasn't going to turn after his encounter with the Hunter. His wound had healed beautifully. There was light scarring on his arm where he'd been attacked but other than that, he was okay. Unfortunately, however, Ellis had succumbed quite severely to the nightmares and flashbacks that came with the trauma of what they'd all gone through. He was even in therapy for it, just like a lot of other survivors. Nick had considered therapy briefly, but he decided against it. What the hell could a shrink even begin to understand about his thoughts and feelings anyway? They'd probably accuse him of having some kind of creepy attraction to his mother or something stupid.

"Oh... You might not be able to go back to bed for a few hours." Rochelle said with a small gasp, "We're having guests over for breakfast, remember?"

Nick's expression became sour. How could he forget? It had been four days since none other than Francis, Louis and Zoey had been dropped outside the house across the street by the military, which had become their designated home for the time being. Since then, Rochelle and Ellis had been trying to take the opportunity to spend as much time with Francis and Zoey as possible and both of them saw it as some divine intervention that the other three survivors would just happen to be moved in across the street from them. Nick still had a lot of resentment for the loud-mouthed biker, but for the sake of Rochelle, who was clearly _very_ infatuated with him, he was trying to make the effort to be civil. He was also coaching Ellis on how not to be creepy, since he wasn't exactly taking his time when trying to court Zoey, to a point where some of his behaviour may have come across as stalker-like. As for Louis? Well, while Louis' overly cheerful temperament could be annoying, the guy was smart, and Nick liked intelligent people, so he was able to get on with Louis quite well. With the unpleasant reminder that Rochelle had just given him, Nick knew that he wasn't going to get more than an hour or two of sleep before he'd have to actually make the effort to look like a functioning human being, so, with a disgruntled shake of his head, he tried to appear more cheerful by giving Rochelle a very forced smile.

"Well, I'll see you in a little while, I guess." Nick sighed, reaching out to gently pat her shoulder affectionately, which earned him a small smile in return.

Rochelle watched him go, brushing a strand of her curled hair out of her face. After having her dreadlocks taken out so that she could actually get all the zombie guts and other gross stuff out of her hair, Rochelle had decided to embrace her naturally curly hair, and after spending some time styling it and playing around with it, she was enjoying have thick, big curls in her hair instead of the dreadlocks she'd had when she'd met the others. Coach and Ellis had often complimented how young it made her look, which was a nice boost for her. As she continued to watch Nick head back to his room, she bit her lip with worry before slipping into the bathroom to get ready to start the day.

Upon reaching his bedroom door, Nick came to a sudden stop. Since they'd been in this house, for some reason, he always had to stop before he entered the room if he was returning to bed. Taking the doorknob into his hand, he clutched it tightly, slowly turned it and pushed open the white painted door, revealing the warm green walls of the bedroom shrouded in the darkness of the early winter morning, and the smooth, polished dark wooden floor which he carefully stepped onto. Looking over towards the bed, Nick let out a long, quiet, but relieved sigh.

Laying on her side facing him, her now shoulder-length locks tucked back over her shoulder, was Julia, breathing slowly and evenly, her left hand clutching the pillow that her head was resting on. Nick smiled warmly. He suddenly came to a realisation as to why he had to stop outside of his bedroom door. Maybe it was so that he could enter their room at that same slow pace every time in order to savour the sight of her laying there, still breathing, still alive and still with him.

The impact of hitting the car that the Tank had thrown her into back at the bridge had done more damage to her than just knocking her unconscious. It had caused her right lung to collapse, and she'd actually been left unable to breathe on her own, which went undetected until she eventually required CPR. As soon as the chopper had touched down on one of the aircraft carriers, she'd been taken straight to the medical bay, where thankfully, doctors were able to stabilise her, and she'd been returned to Nick's care after about nine days. He'd been with her every second that he could and he'd been thanking whatever God was out there ever since for the fact that she'd been saved. He hadn't been punished after all. She was physically fully recovered now, but psychologically, she had a long way to go before she'd be okay again. They all did.

Closing the door behind him as quietly as he could, Nick crossed the room to their bed, climbed in beside her as carefully as possible and reached out to brush a lock of her hair out of her face while easing the thick covers out from under her goosebump-covered arms to shield her from the cold. Winter was now upon them and like she'd told him before, she wasn't good with the cold. Nick decided to get wrapped up with her and he gently eased her into his arms like he did most mornings, taking the time to hold her.

If anyone had told him six months ago that he'd have softened this much, he'd have laughed in their faces. But, while he still had his harsh exterior and his bad attitude, Nick had managed to get in touch with his more sensitive side. He'd learned to allow his emotions to run their course properly instead of fighting them, and after sitting by Julia's bedside on the night of her surgery in tears, he realised how good it felt sometimes to actually get the shitty feelings out in the open rather than letting them eat him up.

He felt her burrow into his cotton-clad chest, so he tightened his hold on her, brushing her hair out of her face while running his other hand under her warm pink t-shirt. He felt her move her leg between both of his and she settled again comfortably, not stirring once as he carefully took her hand in his and kissed it. He still couldn't believe that she was still here. Everything had turned out okay in the end, and while society had a lot of work to do to become functional again, it was a relief that all of them had made it out of that mess without being too severely injured.

"Nick?" Julia whispered softly, lying still against his chest, "What time is it?"

"Just gone six." Nick said, glancing at the clock on his bedside table, "I'm sorry I woke you, baby."

"No, no, no, that's okay..." She promised sleepily, "Are you alright? Are you having nightmares again?"

"I'm okay, sweetie, I promise." Nick told her, his voice gruff and deep as he pressed his lips to the top of her head, "Go back to sleep. We don't have to be up for a couple of hours."

"Don't we have guests coming for breakfast?" Julia asked, her voice muffled by his chest.

"You bet." Nick laughed quietly, stroking her hair, "You can go back to sleep for a while, though. It's okay."

She settled against him again, sighing contentedly as she snuggled into his arms and the warmth of their bed, feeling him hold her close to him. Leaning his head back against the pillow, Nick closed his eyes as well, trying to focus on the soothing sound of Julia's breathing and comforting feeling of her heart beating against his chest so that he could maybe get a little more sleep before they'd have to get up and start their day.

Julia, who had found herself appreciating little moments like this even more after her brush with death, felt beyond contented as she felt her boyfriend's arms tighten around her. She remembered waking up in the medical bay of the aircraft carrier to find Nick beside her with red, swollen eyes and the remnants of tears still visible against his skin, and that was her first indication that what had happened to her had been _very_ serious. He'd been holding her hand so tightly that it actually hurt, although she knew that wasn't his intention. When they were finally moved onto one of the cruise ships to join Coach, Rochelle and Ellis, Nick was beyond attentive to her needs. He followed the doctor's instructions to the letter, keeping Julia's stitches clean and making sure she had everything that she needed. It was a side of him she _never_ thought she'd see.

Smiling to herself, Julia nuzzled against his chest, breathing in his scent as she shuffled upwards to rest her head under his chin, turning briefly to kiss his neck. She felt a small huff of laughter escape his lips and as he gave her one last kiss on the head, both of them tried to get back to sleep with the hopes of being a little more rested before their guests arrived for breakfast.

Around two and a half hours later, their dining table was surrounded by laughter, the smell of good food and the sound of Ellis gibbering away as he told one of his many stories about the infamous Keith, who they still didn't know the fate of yet. Coach sat at the head of the table with Rochelle on his left and Francis on his right, who were busy making eyes at each other over their breakfast. Ellis was busy serving up food with the help of Julia, who set a plate down in front of Zoey and then Louis, while Ellis set a plate down in front of Nick, who was at the other end of the table, and one down for Julia, who'd be sitting to his left.

With everyone finding their places, they all settled into warm conversation and tried to enjoy the normality of sharing breakfast with their big, unusual, but wonderful family.

 **~ The End ~**

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 **And there you have it. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. I hope you'll be looking forward to the sequel, which I've already started to write.**

 **Goodbye, for now!**


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